Billy Donovan, fresh off the Chicago Bulls, could be a prime new candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans have yet to hire a new head coach, so they are still on the lookout for new candidates. One just hit the market that could be worth a look.
After six seasons, Billy Donovan stepped away from coaching the Chicago Bulls. With that team going in a new direction and rebuilding, it seems smart for the two parties to go their separate ways. Donovan is still a talented coach, though, so he should find new work soon.
Donovan is most known for his time as head coach of the Florida Gators from 1996 to 2015. He was a three-time SEC coach of the year and won the national championship in back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007. The Gators' court is named after him.
He has been coaching in the NBA since 2015, when he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the coach for the end of the Kevin Durant era and left right before the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander era. They made the playoffs in each year under him, but only won one series.
The reason that he left is that he could not agree to a contract extension with the team, so he decided to leave for the Bulls. Overall, with the Thunder, he went 243-157.
His time in Chicago was less successful, though it's unclear exactly how much of that was his fault. The rosters throughout his time were poorly constructed. Ownership and the front office have received more criticism than Donovan did during his time. It's part of the reason that the Bulls are undergoing another rebuild.
He went 226-256 there, mostly hovering around .500 outside of this past season and the one year they made the playoffs. While he hasn't had rousing success in the NBA, he is still viewed as a top coach.
At the worst, he is certainly worth a look for Joe Dumars and co. Donovan wants to keep coaching, and there are only a handful of openings, as of now. It could be a hard sell to get Donovan to join another tumultuous franchise, though, so perhaps they wouldn't be able to land him if they want.
The 60-year-old is a great offensive head coach and could unlock a lot of great things with Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson. He fits what Dumars is looking for in a head coach and has been around this league for a long time.