Sam Presti and Billy Donovan have had a very close relationship for several years and the roots of the Oklahoma City Thunder hiring him as head coach may have been in the making for some time.

The Thunder hired two members of Billy Donovan's staff at Florida within the past 12 months.

The Thunder hired Mark Saigneault as coach of the Thunder D-League team, while Oliver Winterbone was hired as a data analyst.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Billy Donovan have agreed upon a five-year deal for him to become their next head coach.

The Thunder have been searching for a replacement for Scott Brooks.

Donovan has had a relationship with Sam Presti for a decade.

Donovan has never coached in the NBA before, but has won two national championships at Florida.

Donovan's deal will be worth approximately $30 million.

"I'm very excited to learn from him and get better from him and do my best to do whatever he tells me to do," said Kevin Durant to ESPN's Royce White. Durant also reached out to Chandler Parsons and Mike Miller for information on Donovan, who played for him at Florida.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Billy Donovan have begun discussions on the framework of a contract for him to become head coach.

There's confidence from both sides that a deal can be reached.

Donovan could command an annual salary in the $6 million range to leave Florida. He makes $4 million-plus annually with no state income tax at Florida.

Sam Presti only has Donovan as a serious candidate.

ESPN's Marc Stein reports Wednesday evening that the Thunder and Donovan are nearing agreement and a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday.

Kevin Durant has reached out to multiple former Florida players about Billy Donovan, according to sources.

Donovan is considered the only serious candidate for the Oklahoma City Thunder head coaching vacancy.

Durant has become generally positive about the potential hiring of Donovan.

Donovan has interest in speaking to Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka before accepting the job. It is unclear if meetings will be facilitated.

Sam Presti and Donovan have had a relationship for a decade.

Donovan turned down offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason.

Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder have opened a dialogue about the team's vacant coaching position, according to sources.

The Thunder's job became available a week ago after the dismissal of Scott Brooks.

Donovan is widely regarded as the clear favorite to succeed Brooks.

Ettore Messina is reportedly on the list of candidates compiled by the Oklahoma City Thunder for their head coaching vacancy.

Messina has had great success as a head coach in Europe and is currently an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.

The Thunder fired Scott Brooks as head coach this week.

Billy Donovan is widely considered the frontrunner for the job.

Kevin Ollie has removed his name from consideration for the head coaching job of the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to sources.

Ollie has been considered a strong candidate for the job following his success at UConn and relationship with Kevin Durant.

The Thunder are looking for a new head coach following their dismissal of Scott Brooks.

Billy Donovan is also considered a top candidate for the position.

Sam Presti is confident the Oklahoma City Thunder will re-sign Enes Kanter this offseason.

Kanter will be a restricted free agent.

The Thunder acquired Kanter at the deadline in a trade that included a future first round pick.

“We wouldn’t have traded for him if we didn’t feel like we’d be in a position to have him with us going forward,” Presti said.

Billy Donovan is believed to be a serious candidate to replace Scott Brooks as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports that Donovan recently worked on background research on Kevin Durant.

Durant will become an unrestricted free agent in 2016.

Donovan has won two national championships at Florida and had previously agreed to coach the Orlando Magic before ultimately deciding to remain in Gainesville.

Kevin Ollie also has interest in the Thunder job. Ollie was teammates with many of the Thunder, including Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Scott Brooks will become a top candidate for the head coaching vacancies of the Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets.

Brooks was fired by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.