Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan may have just spent his last season as a college coach. Donovan reportedly is interested in leaving college for the NBA and is "increasingly prepared" to hear pitches, which may come from teams such as the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets.
Donovan made a name for himself at Florida, and according to ESPN's Marc Stein, he is now ready to try to make one for himself in the NBA.
"There is a growing sense among NBA executives that Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan is looking to making the jump to the NBA more than ever before, according to league sources," Stein wrote Thursday. "Sources told ESPN.com that Donovan is poised to draw interest from multiple NBA teams this offseason and is increasingly prepared to listen to those pitches after the Gators endured a 16-17 season in which they failed to qualify for postseason play for just the second time in Donovan's nearly two decades in Gainesville."
Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who's close to Donovan, also predicted on Thursday Donovan would at some point try his luck in the NBA.
It would only cost $500,000 for an NBA team to buy out Donovan's contract, which now runs through 2020 after he agreed to a one-year extension earlier in the week.
He drew interest last year from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers but ultimately decided to remain at Florida. Although he didn't make the jump last year, he said at the time the NBA was "intriguing in a lot of ways" and didn't rule out leaving to the pros later on.
Orlando and Denver are the only two teams without head coaches. Donovan had agreed in writing to take the Orlando job in 2007 but quickly bailed out, which the Magic allowed in exchange for him signing a non-compete clause that prohibited him signing with an NBA team until after the 2013-14 season.
Donovan, who's 50 years old and has two national titles under his belt, will likely have more suitors after the NBA's regular season ends and non-playoff teams begin to make changes.
