The NBA is entering the 2026-27 season with six new head coaches, a turnover that hits one-fifth of the league and resets the direction of six teams at once. The names attached to those changes include Tiago Splitter, Jamahl Mosley, Sean Sweeney, Dusty May, Micah Nori and Taylor Jenkins.
That is why the NBA schedule conversation has already shifted from dates to decision-makers. The offseason did not just move players around; it put new voices in charge of the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks before the first games are even on the board.
Splitters’ hire in Chicago carries the most immediate spotlight because he steps into a team that has tried to build around youth and momentum. The Bulls added Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick and Dailyn Swain at No. 15, then brought in Nic Claxton in a trade and Norman Powell in free agency. On paper, that is a meaningful push forward. But the East does not wait for a team to settle in, and the Central Division is already crowded with Cleveland, Indiana and a Detroit group that will make every night feel like a test.
Splitter knows the job he is taking. He said he grew up in Brazil watching Bulls games late at night at 1 a.m. with the volume turned down and the door closed, rooting for Michael Jordan. He also arrives with a résumé that includes a 2014 title with the San Antonio Spurs, assistant roles with Brooklyn, Houston and Portland, and a final stop in Portland last season that ended with a 42-40 record and a 4-1 first-round loss. The new coach is not arriving as a blank slate; he is arriving as someone who has lived inside winning structures and now has to build one of his own.
The broader pattern is what makes this change more than a routine offseason shuffle. First-season success is not rare enough to dismiss: Steve Kerr won a championship with Golden State in 2015, Tyronn Lue did it with Cleveland in 2016, Nick Nurse followed with Toronto in 2019, Frank Vogel did the same with Los Angeles in 2020, and Joe Mazzulla reached the title level with Boston in 2024 if interim years are set aside. Mitch Johnson also took San Antonio to the Finals last season under the same counting. That history gives each of these hires a real ceiling, but it does not guarantee a fast start.
If there is a team that looks best positioned on paper, it may be Chicago because the roster changes were aggressive and the coaching hire fits the moment. Still, the first real answer will come only when the 2026-27 season begins and these six coaches find out whether fresh leadership can turn offseason promise into wins before the league moves on.
