The Thunder have exercised the fifth-year option on head coach Billy Donovan‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The move will ensure that Donovan is locked up for the 2019/20 season.
Since being hired by the Thunder in 2015, Donovan has put together a 168-106 regular season record, leading the club to three consecutive playoff appearances. Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference Finals in Donovan’s first season, but has been eliminated in the first round in each of the two years since then.
As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), only three other NBA head coaches have more wins with a single team than Donovan since he entered the league in 2015 — Steve Kerr (Warriors), Gregg Popovich (Spurs), and Brad Stevens (Celtics). Dwane Casey won 166 games with the Raptors and 14 so far with the Pistons.
Reports at the time of Donovan’s hiring indicated that his five-year contract with the Thunder was worth approximately $30MM, so he’s in position to earn that entire amount.
They wanted to fire him last year and now they pick up how option?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Billy Donovan’s voice before. Neither has Russell Westbrook..
I wonder if Scott Brooks looks at Donovan and says, “I tried to tell you…” Then looks back and John Wall and re-sighs.
Why?
For starters, they have the #1 ranked defense in the league without their best defender.
I guess I gotta give him credit, as the Thunder look good so far in the West. However, it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of schemes beyond Russ and PG13 doing their thing.
And Russ prefers it that way! Who else would you specifically scheme for?
He was fired in the media last April, by everyone from Zach Lowe to dionis. Then on May Day he got the notorious FO vote of confidence, by Presti. After that he naturally kind of disappeared. . . until this!
Agree w/@Chris, I see no signs of structure or plays being run with OKC. I think Jeremy Grant bails them out when necessary like Eric Gordon used to do in Houston. Also Nerlens Noel looks like he has adjusted to his role, if not to the NBA yet, in a mature way.