The coaching search by the Knicks might have helped another candidate land a contract extension.
Billy Donovan, the Bulls coach whom the Knicks were denied permission to interview after firing Tom Thibodeau, signed a multiyear extension to remain in Chicago, ESPN reported Sunday.
Terms of the deal weren’t revealed, but negotiations started during last season, the outlet added.
Billy Donovan reacts from the sideline during the Bulls’ April 16 game. Getty ImagesThe deal secures Donovan’s immediate future in Chicago after he spent five seasons with the Thunder before being hired by the Bulls for the 2020-21 campaign.
He has compiled a 195-205 record with the Bulls, and he helped them make the postseason during his second campaign before falling short in each of the past three years.
In 2024-25, Chicago went 39-43 but lost in the play-in tournament to the Heat.
Billy Donovan talks with Coby White during the Bulls’ March 13 game. Getty ImagesThe Knicks made their request to interview Donovan early in their coaching search following their shocking decision to fire Thibodeau, but similar to their requests for the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd, the Rockets’ Ime Udoka, the Timberwolves’ Chris Finch and the Hawks’ Quin Snyder, they were denied permission.
Udoka secured a multiyear extension that made him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches, while NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks are expected to extend Kidd before the start of next season.
The Knicks ended up hiring Mike Brown, the former Kings, Cavaliers and Lakers coach, who will be tasked with ensuring that a coaching change doesn’t result in a step back from a run to the Eastern Conference finals.
