Bulls and coach Billy Donovan agree to a contract extension
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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The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Seth Lugo agree to 2-year extension, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year extension that includes a vesting option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which presumably takes one of the most talked-about names on the trade market off the table ahead of this week's deadline, had not been officially announced. The 35-year-old Lugo made his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove last season, when he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal that included a player option for next season. Lugo has followed that up with an even better start to this season, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA through 19 outings for Kansas City. Rumors surfaced of several contenders interested in trading for Lugo ahead of Thursday's deadline, and the fact that the Royals have been hanging on the fringe of contention themselves left many wondering whether they would be buyers or sellers. It appears that they are going to make a push for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks for reliever Andrew Hoffmann late Saturday, shoring up a weakness in the lineup by adding a right-handed bat. Now, they have indicated that Lugo remains big a part of their future with his extension — an especially timely one given it came the same day that All-Star pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list. Kansas City also is missing starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries. Both are expected back at some point in August, and the Royals are hopeful that their return to the rotation will propel them down the stretch run. After beating the Guardians on Sunday, the Royals were four games back of the final American League wild-card spot. ___ AP MLB: Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
