Bulls Closing In On Sean Sweeney? Why Bryson Graham May Be Ahead Of The Curve
The Chicago Bulls pulled one of the great curveballs in franchise history this week. Everybody expected them to stick to their comfort zone in searching for a new Vice President of Football Operations. That meant hiring Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, who had years of experience working in the Bulls’ scouting department under John Paxson. However, the Reinsdorfs pivoted to Atlanta Hawks general manager Bryson Graham instead. The 39-year-old wasn’t even considered a favorite, but received plenty of praise from people inside the league. If that weren’t enough, he may already have a head coach lined up. Enter Sean Sweeney.
He is probably the hottest candidate on the market. Sweeney is well-traveled, having productive stops in Milwaukee, Detroit, Dallas, and now San Antonio. In that time, he earned a reputation as a good communicator, a defensive specialist, and an adept player developer. This was reflected when he helped the Dallas Mavericks reach the NBA Finals in 2024 and now has the Spurs boasting the second-best record in the league at 62-20. K.C. Johnson mentioned him as the name to watch for the Bulls’ job.
He wasn’t alone either. NBA insider Marc Stein echoed the same when discussing Graham’s appointment as the new vice president.
“The Chicago Bulls also made a leadership move Monday by naming Atlanta’s Bryson Graham as their new executive vice president of basketball operations, meaning both of the league’s front office vacancies were filled on the same day. Among Graham’s first tasks will be hiring a head coach … with a focus on younger coaches expected and San Antonio’s highly rated assistant coach Sean Sweeney already forecasted in league coaching circles to be among the candidates.”
Sean Sweeney could fix two of the Bulls’ biggest issues.
As respected as Billy Donovan was during his tenure in Chicago, the hard truth is that he never really got the team to play consistently good defense. He also didn’t excel at developing younger players. We’ve seen that with Lauri Markkanen and Ayo Dosunmu after both left for other teams. The Bulls have two 1st-round picks in the 2026 draft and some talented younger players already on the roster, headlined by Matas Buzelis. They will need someone who can put in place a system that helps them get better.
If the reports are true, then Sean Sweeney is a clear choice for that. One thing we know is that the man has loads of experience working with stars. He was a central figure in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ascent with the Bucks. Then he worked with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas. This year, he’s helped Victor Wembenyama take his game to the next level. Having a coach who knows how stars think and operate is an unheralded strength. It is what separated Phil Jackson from many others.
The Bulls might finally be operating with purpose.
One of the things that has always been frustrating about the organization, and Chicago teams in general, is their unwillingness to pursue the most obvious coaching candidates. That seemed to finally change in recent years. The Cubs made a strong push to pry Craig Counsell from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Bears went after Ben Johnson last year. Perhaps those success stories convinced the Reinsdorfs that doing the obvious thing can often have good results. If Graham is the one pushing it? All the better.
Early comments on the new VP speak of a man who is smart, sensible, and open to alternatives when something isn’t working. It sounds like he was well-prepared for this opportunity if he was able to outpace such a strong group of candidates. One has to wonder whether the idea of delivering Sean Sweeney to Chicago might’ve sealed the deal. We will likely learn more about that in the coming days.