Donovan's Status Unchanged as Thunder Prepare for Bubble Play

Despite leading the Thunder to 40-24 and getting consideration for Coach of the Year. Billy Donovan doesn't have a new contract for the coming season.

Nothing has changed about Billy Donovan's status since April when Sam Presti said he was looking forward to talking with the coach about his future at an " appropriate time. "  Instead of locking up Donovan long term right now, the Thunder are focusing on the restart of the season. 

There is every reason to believe that Donovan will be back with the Thunder next season and beyond. During a conference call, Presti said Donovan should get heavy consideration for NBA Coach of the Year. 

The General Manager is pleased with the way he is reimagining Steven Adams, letting his players play, and using the Thunder's three ball-handlers in the closing lineup. When looking at his time in Oklahoma City, 2019-2020 should be considered Donovan's best coaching job. 

The Thunder who were picked to win 31.5 games this year, will finish at worst 8.5 games over that predicted outcome. For the praise, Presti heaped on Donovan; the door is still open for him to walk. 

The Thunder play things closer to the vest than just about an organization in the league. The last two times Presti has talked with the media, he's stopped short of saying Donovan would be back. 

 "When we get the end of the year, we'll sit down and figure out what's best for him and what's best for us."..."I can't predict the future I know the way we've approached it and how I'm looking at it, but at the end of the day we have to take care of what's in front of us right now then we'll get to that at the appropriate time and handle it like we handle everything else." 

What will be worth watching in the negotiations is if Donovan asks for more say in who's on the roster. Presti will take input but, ultimately has the final say, this is one sticking point that could break the camel's back. 

My guess is that Donovan is perfectly ok with the hierarchy of the Thunder's front office, and sometime shortly after the season, Donovan will have a new contract. 

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa