The coaching search by the Knicks may have helped another candidate to get a contract extension.
Billy Donovan, the Bulls coach who received the Knicks permission to interview after dismissing Tom Thibodeau, drew a multi -year extension to stay in Chicago, ESPN reported Sunday.
The conditions of the deal were not revealed, but the negotiations started during last season, added the outlet.
The deal protects the immediate future of Donovan in Chicago after spending five seasons with the Thunder before he was hired by the Bulls for the 2020-21 campaign.
He has compiled a record of 195-205 with the Bulls and he helped them make the late season during his second campaign before he fails in each of the past three years.
In 2024-25, Chicago went 39-43 but lost in the Heat play-in tournament.
The Knicks made their request to interview Donovan in their coaching investigation after their shocking decision to dismiss Thibodeau, but similar to their requests for the Jason Kidd van de Mavericks, the Rockets’ IME Udoka, the Timberwolves’ Chris Finch and the Hawks’ Quin Snyder, they were aged.
Udoka provided a multi-year extension that made him one of the best-paid coaches of the NBA, while NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks was expected to extend the Kidd before the start of the following season.
The Knicks have hired Mike Brown, the former coach of Kings, Cavaliers and Lakers, who ensure that a coaching change does not lead to a step back from a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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