It appears that the Oklahoma City Thunder job is Bill Donovan’s to turn down.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing an offer for Florida coach Billy Donovan and pushing for him to accept the job as head coach, according to Yahoo Sports.
Donovan is the only serious candidate in general manager Sam Presti’s search, and the two-time national championship coach is enthusiastic about the possibility of the job – if terms on a deal can be reached, sources told Yahoo Sports.
It could take a contract worth in the $6 million-a-year range to get Donovan, who makes $4 million-plus annually with no state income tax at Florida.
Kevin Durant has reportedly done his own research on Donovan as well.
Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant has reached out to at least one former University of Florida player in the NBA to gain insight into Donovan, league sources told Yahoo Sports and has become generally positive about the potential hiring.
Donovan has had an interest in trying to speak to the Thunder’s key players, including Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, before accepting the job, but it was unclear if that would be facilitated for Donovan, league sources told Yahoo Sports.