Thunder's Billy Donovan Linked to Philadelphia 76ers Head Coaching Job

After a surprisingly somewhat successful season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, head coach Billy Donovan is not expected to return to the organization next season. According to a report from ESPN's NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, both Donovan and the Thunder have "decided against" pursuing an extension on Donovan's contract, which is set to expire at the end of the current NBA season.

Now, Donovan is another prominent head coaching candidate being added to the market. And to no surprise, Donovan is reportedly on the Philadelphia 76ers' radar. According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, Donovan's name has been "floating around as a potential Sixers head coaching candidate this month."

But per O'Connor's report, the Sixers don't plan to fill the head coaching void until they figure out what they are going to do with their front office. Once Elton Brand and the Sixers' Managing Partners get that all squared away, the organization will shift focus towards finding the perfect candidate to steer the team in the right direction.

As of late, many signs have pointed towards Los Angeles Clippers assistant Ty Lue becoming the next head coach of the Sixers -- but that was before Donovan became available. Now that the soon-to-be-former Thunder head coach is on the market, the Sixers are more than likely going to pursue the New York native.

Donovan, who got his start in coaching at the college level, joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015 after a long stint at the University of Florida. After signing a five-year deal with OKC, Donovan adopted a team with team notable superstars on board in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. 

During his first season, Donovan's Thunder showed promise as they made it to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they came up short. After coaching Durant for one season, the superstar big man left off in free agency and joined the Golden State Warriors. Donovan then coached a Russell Westbrook-led Thunder for the next three seasons, where they failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs.

After trading away Westbrook and other notable names last summer, it was believed that Oklahoma City was entering a rebuild. However, veteran point guard Chris Paul helped lead a young Thunder team to the playoffs unexpectedly. Unfortunately, for the fourth-straight season, Donovan's team failed to make it past the first round.

Now that he's leaving the Thunder after this season concludes, Donovan departs OKC with a 243-157 record. While his postseason record of 18-23 isn't all that attractive, Donovan can get back on the right track with a talented team. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_