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NBA Rumors: Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to hire Kevin Ollie

By Josh Hill

Feb 25, 2015; Greenville, NC, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie gestures during the second half against the East Carolina Pirates at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Connecticut won 60-49. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2015; Greenville, NC, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie gestures during the second half against the East Carolina Pirates at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Connecticut won 60-49. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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After firing Scott Brooks on Wednesday afternoon, the Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly trying to hire Kevin Ollie way from UConn.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have moved on from Scott Brooks, and the team is now trying to scramble to be the first franchise this offseason to fill a head coaching vacancy.

The Sacramento Kings are the only team to have fired a head coach and found a replacement, but that all happened during the season. Oklahoma City is the first team to have fired their head coach after the season, and the shock that fans are in is being met with urgency by the front office to fill the void.

According to Yahoo! Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Oklahoma City Thunder are targeting Kevin Ollie to be their next head coach, despite reports he’s not interested.

This isn’t new, but it’s suddenly really relevant. The Thunder were rumored to be interested in Kevin Ollie last season, as were the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. The catch with Ollie is his relationship with Kevin Durant, and teams thought that if they could hire Ollie, it would increase their chances of signing Kevin Durant in 2016.

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Turns out the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t think it’s as stupid of an idea as they might have in 2014 — as it’s their new Plan A.

Ollie has stated he intends on staying at UConn, but this is the first time he’s had a chance to be a candidate in a world where he knows where Kevin Durant is playing, kind of. Durant hasn’t made his intentions clear as to what plans on doing with his pending free agency in a few years.

That could be a snag that prevents Billy Donovan and Tom Thibodeau from taking the job as Durant is the lynchpin that will make or break a coaches’ decision to come to OKC.

But Ollie is a top choice for the Thunder and he’s someone they believe might give them not only the best chance to win but the best chance to keep Durant over the long haul.

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