How Michael Malone hire saved Tar Heels millions

North Carolina ended its head coaching search by hiring former NBA championship coach Michael Malone — and money may have played a major role. CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein said North Carolina needed to move quickly with the transfer portal opening April 7, and it was far easier to turn to Malone because the school did not have to pay a buyout for a high quality coach. Several other candidates linked to the job, he said, carried significant financial hurdles with buyouts in excess of $10 million.

"We have to remember, and we talked about this the last couple days, other candidates down the list, like Mark Byington from Vanderbilt and Grant McCasland from Texas Tech, had buyouts in excess of $10 million," Rothstein said. "A major factor in this hire was the fact that North Carolina did not have to pay a buyout to get Michael Malone. " @JonRothstein on UNC hiring Michael Malone as next head coach.

pic. twitter. com/8CpoaxrH4y — CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 6, 2026 It should be noted that North Carolina is not hiring Malone simply to save money.

The Tar Heels are bringing him in because he has been one of the NBA’s top coaches in recent years, and the funds they might have spent on another coach’s buyout can instead go toward revenue sharing and other needs to bolster the program, including building a national championship roster through NIL. Moreover, Malone is familiar with Chapel Hill compared to some of the other candidates. He has spent considerable time around the program because his daughter plays volleyball at North Carolina and he was often a guest of the basketball team under then-head coach Hubert Davis during the offseason.