NBA News Roundup, Tuesday, April 30th: Lakers to miss out on Anthony Davis, Billy Donovan to remain with the Thunder and more
The second round of the 2019 playoffs is currently dazzling the basketball world, and the upcoming off-season is also generating plenty of excitement. The NBA draft will take place in less than two months time, while a number of the NBA's top free agents also have major decisions to make on where they will be playing for the 19/20 season.
So, with plenty going on around the league, here is everything you need to know for Tuesday, April 30th.
Billy Donovan is likely to return as Thunder coach next season
Billy Donovan's future has once again been called into question following the Oklahoma City Thunder's disappointing first-round playoff defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. OKC's 4-1 series loss means that the team has still failed to win a series since the departure of Kevin Durant in 2016, however, general manager Sam Presti has told the media that he expects Donovan to remain as head coach next season:
I think he does a really good job. But these jobs are really hard. You can draw up the best plays or you can put together what you feel is a really good team, and sometimes it doesn't come to fruition because there's so many other competing factors and forces that are at play.
I do think getting his (Donovan's) perspective on things is important because there's nobody that works harder than him. If anything, I think he needs to take some time to think through the season himself.
Donovan joined the Thunder back in 2015, and he has guided the team to the playoffs in each of his four seasons in charge. However, the former Gators coach has been criticised for his inability to transform OKC into contenders, and Presti's vote of confidence may frustrate certain sections of the Thunder fanbase.