The SEC saw some of its all-time greats get some clarity on their futures on Wednesday. Recently fired Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan could maybe one day return to the SEC, where he won two national championships two decades ago. Meanwhile, Oklahoma Sooners ambassador and former star player Trae Young opted out of his $48.97 million player option in 2026-27 with the Washington Wizards to become an unrestricted free agent this coming week.
It's unclear where either of the two's next moves are, but there were some hints dropped during a busy news day in the NBA.
Here were some of the biggest headlines from the hardwood world yesterday:
Billy Donovan floated for a potential Florida or Kentucky return in 2027
Donovan's glory years as a head coach came with the Florida Gators in 2005-06 and 2006-07, when he went back-to-back with rosters featuring future NBA talents like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer. His pre-glory years featured campaigns with the Kentucky Wildcats as an assistant under Rick Pitino. Perhaps he could wind up back with one of those programs during the 2027-28 coaching cycle.
Hail Florida Hail's Corey Long speculated that Donovan could end up back in Lexington if the Mark Pope experiment continues to underwhelm, and even floated Florida in the event Todd Golden took an NBA job.
"But the chances are good that Donovan is heading back to college basketball. There's plenty of speculation that the two-time national champion coach is looking for a blue-blood program. Could that be Kentucky if it decides to end the Mark Pope experiment? What about Kansas? Bill Self seems to be entertaining the idea of retiring soon and Donovan previously coached the Oklahoma City Thunder before moving to the Chicago Bulls, so he's familiar with that part of the country. But could Donovan's next college home be his old college home? Anything can happen in college sports and a return to the Gators wouldn't be as surprising as you might think," Long wrote.
Donovan joining a team as an analyst between now and the start of the season would point to his eventual return to the college game. He was briefly linked with the Orlando Magic before Sean Sweeney was hired instead.
His door wouldn't be shut even in the event of a gap year, or even two.
Arkansas lands Real Madrid prospect, Kentucky gets opening night opponent
Trae Young opts out of player option with the Wizards
Of course, Young played in the Big 12 before the Oklahoma Sooners made their way over to the SEC. Still, Young serves as Assistant General Manager for Men's Basketball at OU, linking him to the modern-day "It Just Means More" conference.
All signs point to Young getting a new contract from the Wizards, but his opting out means there's a guarantee from someone in the market. He's set to explore his options before finding a long-term home. The Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets have cap space and could use a one-man offensive system like Young to spruce up offenses that have been stuck in neutral for a while. Don't be shocked to see Young explore his options here.
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