Report: Donovan leaning toward taking Thunder job; team preparing contract offer

The Oklahoma City Thunder want Billy Donovan and Billy Donovan alone, and they're wasting little time in recruiting the Florida Gators head coach to fill Scott Brooks's vacated seat.

ESPN's Marc Stein reported early Wednesday that Thunder general manager Sam Presti had opened negotiations with Donovan about the position, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of  Yahoo Sports, they're already preparing a contract offer and pushing for him to accept:

Donovan is the only serious candidate in general manager Sam Presti’s search, and the two-time national championship coach is enthusiastic about the possibility of the job - if terms on a deal can be reached, sources told Yahoo Sports.

It could take a contract worth in the $6-million-a-year range to get Donovan, who makes $4 million-plus annually with no state income tax at Florida.

Stein followed up his earlier report with word that Donovan is leaning toward taking the Thunder job: 

Sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Donovan has left little doubt he's seriously interested in the prospect of making the move now to the NBA to succeed Scott Brooks, who was ousted by the Thunder one week ago....

One source close to the situation went so far as to tell ESPN.com that "the job is Donovan's to lose" at this point. Another source said Wednesday that the rising expectation in Gainesville is that Donovan "is as good as gone."

This isn't the first time Donovan has been courted by an NBA team. He accepted the Orlando Magic head-coaching job in 2007, only to go back to the Gators a few days after his introductory press conference. Escaping his Magic contract came with a five-year NBA ban. 

Donovan is signed through 2020 at Florida, but reportedly has a buyout in his deal for $500,000 to pursue an NBA opportunity. 

And Presti, who has a longstanding relationship with Donovan, sees him as an ideal cultural fit with the Thunder. 

From Stein:

Despite his lack of NBA coaching experience, Donovan is said to appeal to Presti as a candidate because of their similarly meticulous approaches to the job. Presti speaks often of the Thunder's culture and making every move with that culture in mind. 

With the looming free agencies of Kevin Durant (2016) and Russell Westbrook (2017) serving as potential deterrents, Donovan is interested in speaking to the Thunder superstars, perhaps to gain some clarity, before accepting the job. Presti, apparently, does not feel compelled to do the same:

According to Wojnarowski, Durant has already reached out to at least one former Florida player in the NBA to gain insight into Donovan.