Thunder GM: Coach Billy Donovan will return next season

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Wednesday that coach Billy Donovan's job is safe, despite a disappointing season.

Oklahoma City had high expectations this season after trading for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to join reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. Even with the added star power, the Thunder won just one more regular-season game than last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs again.

Presti noted that Donovan has been forced to deal with constant change. The Thunder went to the Western Conference Finals in Donovan's first season with a fully stacked roster. A few months later, superstar Kevin Durant left for Golden State in free agency, and the Thunder scrambled to make the playoffs in 2016-17. This season, shooting guard Andre Roberson suffered a season-ending ruptured left patellar tendon in January.

''If you think about the last three years for our organization, and the last three years for him, it's been a little bit of a whipsaw in respect to just the team he inherited in 2016, the performance of that team being within a couple minutes of going to the Finals, then not being able to capitalize on that,'' Presti said. ''Obviously on the heels of free agency in 2016, we're trying to put together a team on the fly and do the best that we can. We were able to get that team to the postseason. In his third year, there's a significantly different roster. Again, I think the best thing for him, I think the biggest opportunity for him, is in the continuity.''

The continuity depends largely on if George, who has a player option on his deal, stays. George, a 6-foot-9 forward, was an All-Star who averaged 21.9 points and 5.7 rebounds this season and was among the league leaders in steals. Presti noted the positive things George has said about the franchise and believes both sides have been upfront.

''From the day that he arrived, we really made a specific and intentional effort to build a relationship with Paul and his representation built on three things: collaboration, transparency, and trust,'' Presti said. ''Those tenets were followed throughout the year and continued to be. I felt strongly about the relationship. I feel great about the communication and the honesty, about the way we started the relationship.''

Dealing with Anthony will be a critical element of the offseason. The 10-time All-Star was inconsistent and ended the season unhappy. He averaged just 16.2 points this season, the lowest average of his career. He was an isolation specialist most of his career before shifting to more of a catch-and-shoot role this season. He made it clear on Saturday that he's not interested in coming off the bench and he doesn't like the role he had last season.

The Thunder will owe Anthony $28 million if he doesn't exercise his early termination option. If he stays, it creates a dilemma for Donovan. Presti doesn't expect Anthony's role to change.

''He has to decide whether or not he wants to do another year of trying to make this transition as a stretch player,'' Presti said. ''That's the first thing. I think he's being very candid and very honest. I respect that. I respect the fact he's being open about that.''

Regardless, Donovan's future with the Thunder is clearer than that of George and Anthony. He has a 150-96 career regular-season record (.610) with the franchise.

''I think he comes in guns blazing every day looking for ways to get better, looking for ways to continue to build relationships with his players,'' Presti said. ''I think he's done an excellent job of that, as well, based on just the fact that this season, with some of the adversities we faced relative to expectations, relative to some injury, the newness of the team, the chemistry of the team, the strength of the team. I think he has a big hand in that, as well.''

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

---

More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball