On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced head coach Billy Donovan would not return as head coach.
General manager Sam Presti had some idea beforehand which way that conversation with Donovan was going to go.
He brought some beer to the meeting so the two could reminisce about the five years Donovan spent as head coach, according to ESPN’s Royce Young.
Over Donovan’s tenure in Oklahoma City, the Thunder posted a record of 243-157 record and made the playoffs all five years.
Donovan coached stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul. There were fan-favorites like Steven Adams and Andre Roberson.
This year, with a transformed roster, the Thunder surpassed national expectations and made the playoffs again.
Donovan was voted co-Coach of the Year by the coach’s union and named third in official Coach of the Year voting.
But from the sound of it, Donovan was not eager to undergo another roster transformation. Presti’s statement said the team was unable to “provide him the information on the future direction” of the Thunder and could not “give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career.”
That implies a rebuild. And with Presti’s impression that this conversation would be the end of Donovan’s time with Oklahoma City, he was content to spend the time celebrating the organization’s achievements over the last five years.