Shams Sharania

I also never got the feel as this process kicked off

Especially after the season when everyone knew Billy Donovan's future was up in the air.

I never got the feel that there were people shying away from interviewing people that were turning the Bulls down based on Billy Donovan's status.

I think Billy Donovan just overall is so well respected and fairly easy to work with and for from a front office perspective when you talk to people in Oklahoma City and Chicago.

He had a guaranteed option in his contract, and that was written in.

He signed a multi-year extension last offseason, but not many people knew that he had his own option.

And so this isn't a situation where he is guaranteed anything for next year.

He turned down guaranteed money.

He turned down any type of extension he wanted.

The Bulls would have given him any amount of years, would have given him more money if he wanted to stay.

Even given a managerial role, from my understanding.

But he made the decision that it was best for both sides to just move on.

If Shams didn't report it, then it obviously didn't happen.