Billy Donovan has found success at every level of basketball, but he’s sticking around in Chi-Town for the long haul.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Bill Bradley, Troy Brown Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Lindy Waters III, and Manu Ginobili! 🎉

Around the Association

Bulls’ HC Billy Donovan signs contract extension

After a decade coaching at the NBA level, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is coming back for more.

On Sunday, Chicago announced it had reached an extension with its coach of five years, giving the team a consistent direction as it attempts to build on its late-season success. The Bulls finished 2024-25 on a 15-5 tear before falling to Miami in the East Play-In; now, with their leading man locked up, Chicago will look to translate that success to a full campaign’s sample size as it seeks its first playoff appearance since 2022.

The Bulls didn’t specify the number of years or salary of Donovan’s deal, but he reportedly had one year left on his existing contract. After winning two national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007, Donovan made the jump to the NBA in 2015, when he took over in OKC and led the KD/Russ Thunder to the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

Though the Bulls haven’t been past the first round since he took over in 2020, a faster offensive pace and a shift toward youth over the last calendar year have helped Chicago establish an identity post-Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. For Kenny’s sake: let’s hope Chi-Town is trophy town once again soon! 🏆

Sabrina Ionescu stars, Liberty split weekend slate against Phoenix and L.A.

Sabrina Ionescu’s #1 tip for three-point shooting is to believe the ball is going in. We appreciate the advice, but that’s a lot easier if you’ve already made four straight WNBA All-Star games.

Ionescu put on a show at the Barclays Center over the weekend, dropping back-to-back 29+ point performances as New York split their weekend homestand. On Friday, the Liberty trailed third-place Phoenix by as many as 12 in the first half before using an 18-5 third-quarter run to seize control. Sabrina was the engine, pouring in 29 PTS, 8 AST, and 4 threes on the day.

Then, as New York celebrated her Sabrina 3 “Blueprint” drop with a special fan giveaway on Saturday, the former Oregon star stayed red-hot, dropping 30 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, and 4 STL. Though the Liberty ultimately fell to the Sparks on a tough buzzer-beater from Rickea Jackson, Ionescu became just the fourth player in WNBA history to record that statline.

She also became the first player in basketball history to ask for a technical foul.

The Liberty also got good news on another key star—an initial report said forward Breanna Stewart avoided a major injury after getting hurt early in the game against the Sparks. New York will need a healthy Stewart as they attempt to chase down the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, the team they defeated in the Finals last season.

Stock Market: Offseason Edition

With the draft and the bulk of free agency wrapped up, most of the league’s rosters are settled for the season ahead. Let’s break down three teams that hit this summer out of the park in an offseason edition of the Enjoy Stock Market.

Winner #1: Houston Rockets

Best move: Trading for Kevin Durant

From 2022-2024, the Rockets won a combined 59 games. Now, they have a chance to win that many in a single campaign.

After a terrific 2024-25 regular season that saw Houston arrive ahead of schedule and grab the West’s #2 seed with a young roster, H-Town pushed its chips to the center of the table and went all-in this offseason to add star power and depth.

The flashiest move was nabbing Kevin Durant from Phoenix, but signing Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela will go a long way toward ensuring Houston is ready for a lengthy playoff run. The Rockets also flipped Cam Whitmore for draft capital and held onto Reed Sheppard in the Durant deal, giving them a former top-three pick as a potential bench spark plug. That’s livin’!

Winner #2: Denver Nuggets

Best move: Trading for Cam Johnson

The debate about the better player between Johnson and Michael Porter Jr., whom the Nuggets dealt to the Nets, has been a hot topic this offseason. What’s not up for discussion is the money—Porter was making $17M more than Cam, and offloading that salary has allowed Denver to build out its bench like Jokic asked.

The Nuggets also reunited with former playoff hero Bruce Brown, added Tim Hardaway Jr. to help their three-point shooting, and traded for Jonas Valanciunas, who finally seems ready to play for the team as a backup to the Joker. There’ll be plenty of challengers to the reigning champion Thunder in the West, and Denver will be one of the first in line.

Winner #3: Atlanta Hawks

Best move: Trading for an unprotected New Orleans/Milwaukee 2026 first-round pick swap

It goes without saying that Atlanta made plenty of smart moves this offseason. They took in the unicorn Kristaps Porzingis when Boston offloaded his contract, signed defensive demon Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and picked up sharpshooter Luke Kennard for help on the perimeter. They also drafted Georgia standout Asa Newell, but perhaps the Hawks’ biggest win came from a move they made looking ahead to the future.

On draft night, Atlanta moved back from No. 23 to No. 13, and in the process, acquired an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the more favorable between New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks. That could be a highly valuable selection in what looks to be a stacked 2026 draft class.

In a league where teams often choose between winning now and building for later, the Hawks seem to have accomplished both.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, consider taking some time to plan out your next few weeks and months. Whether it’s personal or professional goals, knowing where you’re going makes getting there that much easier. See you soon!

Walker Carnathan