Billy Donovan Moving on From OKC Thunder a Win-Win For Both Sides

In the weeks that followed the strangely fun 2019-20 season, Billy Donovan and Sam Presti held a meeting regarding the future of the head coach. We don't know much about what went on in that room, other than the two enjoyed some Diet Cokes, reflected, talked about the future and saw Donovan emerge as the new bench boss of the Chicago Bulls.

After trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder seemed poised for a rebuild. So much so in the 2019-20 season, they were given just a 0.2% chance at making the NBA Playoffs.

As the season went along, the Thunder weren't just a playoff team but playing for the right to have home court advantage in the postseason, the night the NBA world stopped spinning. With a pandemic sandwiched in the middle of the season, it remains one of the most enjoyable campaigns in Thunder history.

That group went to the bubble and battled the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series that saw the spunky Bricktown ballers ousted from Disney World by former franchise icon Russell Westbrook and company.

In the 2020 offseason –– which was really about a three-week break between the bubble and the start of the 2020-21 campaign –– the Thunder traded nearly everyone on the roster to completely reshape the roster around youngsters such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort.

With the writing on the wall that Oklahoma City would be entering a rebuild, Donovan elected to jump ship and head to Chicago to pace the sidelines for the Bulls.

The Thunder made an eyebrow-raising move to hire current bench boss Mark Daigneault. An unknown commodity who was an in-house hire after serving as the OKC Blue head coach and Thunder assistant for the years leading into this announcement.

While most cast this decision aside as Sam Presti tabbing a lame duck coach poised to rack up losses and eventually be run out of town by the time the team was ready to contend, it was clear early on that the narrative didn't have any merit.

Not only does Oklahoma City not operate that way, but even in 20-something win seasons, you could see the developmental chops of Daigneault, maximizing the team's built to lose and squeezing every ounce of defensive prowess out of them.

The losing only lasted two seasons, Presti rebuilt a team that was ready to contend as the Thunder made baby steps along the way. Making the NBA play-in tournament in the 2022-23 campaign, becoming the No. 1 seed in the 2023-24 season and winning the NBA championship as a 68-win club in 2024-25.

Not only has Daigneault delivered the team's first title to Oklahoma City, but brought home coach of the year honors in 2023-24 and is now regarded as one of the best coaches in the association.

During his first five years in Bricktown, Daigneault has posted an impressive 211-189 record despite his first two seasons being 22 and 24 win campaigns.

Oklahoma City has its coach of the future, a sideline pacer who will be employed in Bricktown for as long as he wants to be.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Bulls have placed plenty of trust and belief in Donovan. Sure, the Windy City crew has not reached the heights of Daigneault's Thunder, but that is more so a front office failure.

There is a strong argument to be made that Donovan is getting the most out of Chicago's rosters each year, which is why the historic franchise elected to extend the New York native this summer.

This wasn't a messy breakout between Donovan and the Thunder; it was and remains a win-win for both sides.