PAINFUL DEPARTURE: Chicago Bulls head coach in 2025 season Billy Donovan announce his departure with reason he said…

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan rarely voices his opinion about front-office maneuvering. But he shared a sense of inevitability after the Bulls traded Zach LaVine this week to the Sacramento Kings, continuing a yearlong process of breaking up the team’s core.

It had nothing to do with LaVine, who has been the franchise centerpiece since Donovan took over the Bulls in 2020. Donovan praised LaVine for his adept scoring and growth on and off the court, especially this season as he shook off a frustrating 2023-24 season to shoulder the responsibility of leading a young roster.

But even with LaVine playing the most efficient basketball of his career, the Bulls couldn’t make any headway in the Eastern Conference — a stagnancy Donovan knew couldn’t last.

“We all felt the same way,” he said. “It was kind of like we were stuck in the middle and we needed to pick a direction. And I think that everybody was on board with that.

“I’m all for doing what’s best for the organization and I think all the way from top to bottom, everybody felt the same way.”

Donovan also knows what comes next. Trading one star isn’t enough for a team to plunge into a rebuild. The Bulls have plenty of work left in this trade window if they want to kick-start a process that would involve a nosedive in the standings and a shift in focus to young players such as Matas Buzelis.

Before Tuesday’s 133-124 win over the Miami Heat, Donovan was prepared for more roster upheaval ahead of the 2 p.m. Thursday trade deadline.

“My feeling is they’re going to still continue to try to do things,” Donovan said of the front office.

That also means change for Donovan, who is preparing to start over from scratch if the front office successfully positions the Bulls to begin a youth movement through the draft.

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