Billy Donovan Will Not Return As OKC Thunder Coach

Posted on by Sagar Biswas

Billy Donovan will not return as head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder after 5 seasons with the team.

What We Know:

  • According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder and Donovan agreed to not pursue a new contract. Donovan’s deal expired at the end of the 2019-2020 season and he will likely be a sought after candidate for other coaching positions.
  • Wojnarowski reports that both sides agreed to part ways because the franchise is moving towards a rebuild situation. The Thunder outperformed expectations this year and made the playoffs as a fifth seed in the Western Conference. Led by Chris Paul, the team took the Houston Rockets to 7 games before losing in the first round.
  • For pretty much the entire 2010s, the Thunder were an elite Western Conference team and always pursuing a championship. Even after losing James Harden in 2012 and Kevin Durant in 2016, the team tried to stay in contention by building around their duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. After two seasons of that pairing, the team traded both of them to look toward the future. Even after making the playoffs with Chris Paul, it’s clear that the Thunder don’t want to contend right now and want to focus on developing their young assets.
  • The Thunder received a haul of valuable assets in their trades with the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets. They have an excellent second-year player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a stash of draft picks for the near future. Even though the team succeeded with Chris Paul, they’ll likely look to trade the 35-year-old for some more assets.
  • Donovan started coaching the Thunder in 2015. He came from a head coach position at the University of Florida where he won two national championships. Donovan’s Thunder team had a 243-157 record in five regular seasons and have lost in the first round of the playoffs four years in a row. The most success they’ve experienced during his tenure was in his first season where the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook-led team made it to the 2016 Western Conference Finals and lost to the Golden State Warriors. Donovan also earned Coach of the Year honors from the National Basketball Coaches Association that year.

There are many openings in the NBA and college ranks and Donovan will likely be a top candidate for many of them. With the Nets position already filled, the Bulls, Pelicans, 76ers, and Pacers are still searching for their next head coach.

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