Bulls and coach Billy Donovan agree to a contract extension

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls and coach Billy Donovan have agreed to a contract extension, the team said Sunday.

The team did not reveal the length or financial terms of the contract.

Donovan has a 195-205 record with one playoff appearance in five seasons as the Bulls' coach. Chicago went 39-43 for the second straight season and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference before getting knocked out of the play-in tournament by Miami for the third year in a row with a blowout loss at home.

The poor showing against the Heat came after a 15-5 finish to the regular season, albeit when some opponents were tanking to boost their lottery odds and others were resting key players ahead of the playoffs.

The Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso before last season and dealt Zach LaVine before the deadline in February. They also implemented a quicker pace. Coby White averaged a career-high 20.4 points and Josh Giddey came on strong down the stretch in his first season in Chicago.

Chicago has been relatively quiet this offseason. The Bulls drafted Noa Essengue out of the French Basketball League with the No. 12 overall pick and traded Lonzo Ball to Cleveland for Isaac Okoro.

Donovan is 438-362 in 10 seasons as an NBA head coach. He was arguably the most attractive candidate on the market when the Bulls hired him in September 2020 to replace the fired Jim Boylen following a five-year run in Oklahoma City. He led the Thunder to a 243-157 record and playoff appearances each season while working with stars such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Chris Paul.

Donovan previously coached for 19 seasons at the University of Florida and won back-to-back NCAA titles. He is set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

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