Unfortunately, the head coach of OKC Thunder officially decided to terminate his contract due to…
OKLAHOMA CITY President and general manager Sam Presti announced today that head coach Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder has inked a multi-year contract extension. The terms of the agreement were kept confidential per team policy.
Daigneault guided the Thunder to a 40-42 record and an NBA Play-In game victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022–2023 season. After the Thunder improved their record by 16 games, they were second in the NBA. At the end of the season, Daigneault was voted the 2023 NBA Coach of the Year.
After initially joining the team in 2014 and leading the Oklahoma City Blue for five seasons, Daigneault was named the fourth head coach in Thunder history on November 11, 2020. Before taking a bench seat as an assistant coach for the Thunder in 2019, Daigneault guided the Blue to three consecutive division titles and four postseason appearances.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that head coach Mark Daigneault has inked a multi-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
During his three seasons with the Thunder, Daigneault is 86-150. In the previous season’s Coach of the Year voting, he came in second. Coach Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings was named Coach of the Year for 2022–2023.
On November 11, 2020, Daigneault—who joined the Thunder in 2014 and led the Oklahoma City Blue for five seasons—was named the team’s fourth head coach in Thunder history. Before taking a bench seat as an assistant coach for the Thunder in 2019, Daigneault guided the Blue to three consecutive division titles and four postseason appearances.
Last season, OKC finished 40–42 and won the 9–10 play-in game away from the New Orleans Pelicans. However, because they fell short of the Minnesota Timberwolves 8–9 in the play-in game, the Thunder were not eligible for the 2023 playoffs.
NBA RUMORS & NEWS: Oklahoma City Thunder & Mark Daigneault Updates
The Thunder have an exceptionally bright future with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren leading the way. Holmgren sustained a Lisfranc injury during a pro-am game last summer, which kept him out of the 2022–2023 season. Out of Gonzaga, he was selected second overall in the 2022 draft.
Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander sharing the floor excites OKC. The pick-and-roll/pop game appears to be lethal for the two young players.
NBA RUMORS & NEWS: Oklahoma City Thunder & Mark Daigneault Updates
GilgeousAlexander has cemented himself as one of the top players in the NBA after averaging 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 51.0% from the field, 34.5% from beyond the arc, and 90.5% from the free-throw line in the previous campaign. In 2022–2023 he was named to the All-NBA First Team.
Since 2019, the Thunder have missed the playoffs. Seeing if they can return to the postseason in 2024 will be interesting to watch.
