Former SEC players and coaches found out their next moves on Thursday, with Billy Donovan's hiring as an NBA lead assistant coach standing out as the biggest move. Donovan was previously floated for a return to either the Florida Gators, where he won back-to-back championships two decades ago, or the Kentucky Wildcats, where he once served as an assistant under Rick Pitino. He'll remain in the pros instead.
Meanwhile, former LSU Tigers big man Tari Eason returned to the Houston Rockets. With that said, Eason had a notable reaction to the deal that came off as complaining. Eason's salary is seen as below market.
Here were the headlines from the hardwood around the SEC on Thursday:
The Spurs hire Billy Donovan as lead assistant
Per ESPN, "Billy Donovan agreed to become the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Pete Thamel on Thursday. ... Donovan, however, won't be tasked with taking on Sweeney's responsibilities. The club brought Donovan aboard for his experience on both ends of the floor, as well as his vast knowledge of the NBA and college games. Donovan and Johnson also share a strong personal relationship, sources told ESPN's Michael C. Wright."
Truth be told, Donovan may be set up here to take over the head coaching job from Mitch Johnson, whose rotations helped contribute to the San Antonio Spurs' five-game NBA Finals series loss to the New York Knicks.
Johnson stubbornly refused to bench De'Aaron Fox, despite frequently coming up short in big moments down the stretch and Dylan Harper's emergence in the backcourt. If there is any semblance of a slow start in Central Texas next season, Johnson can now be safely expelled. Donovan is the best fall-back option that any team in the Association.
Tari Eason on Rockets extension: 'I guess bruh'
Eason tweeted out a shrugging emoji alongside the phrase, "I guess bruh," right after news broke of his five-year, $81 million extension with the Houston Rockets. Could it have been coincidental? That's probably what he'll say if pressed on it.
Last October, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Eason had a nine-figure offer to return to Houston. Per Windhorst, "From what I understand, they made Eason a strong offer. It was in excess of $100 million. But I don't know how much of it would have been guaranteed, and they didn't do that deal."
Eason isn't going to be a starter on the Rockets with Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith on the roster. He now comes back to Houston at a great value for one of the first forwards off the bench. Part of why he even got that deal was because the Rockets wouldn't play him more over the years and wouldn't trade him to a place where he could get on the floor more. He averaged around 25 minutes per game, which is near-starter-level minutes, but on many of the 29 other teams, he probably would've gotten a chance to start and exceed 30 MPG.
Eason may not get that for a while after betting on himself and coming up short during the 2025-26 regular season, particularly after the All-Star break. Eason was largely good during the postseason, but Houston's six-game elimination didn't exactly help his value.
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