Mike D’Antoni Has Ended Talks On A Contract Extension With The Rockets


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The Houston Rockets might be on the verge of a monumental summer. Reports have already indicated that the team is willing to do whatever it takes to change its roster, with the Rockets putting every player and draft pick on the table in trade talks. But this summer is also huge for head coach Mike D’Antoni, as he’s about to enter the final year of his contract.

The two sides have spent time discussing an extension, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, that is no longer the case. D’Antoni has reportedly ended discussions with the front office, and plans on entering the 2019-20 season as the Rockets coach, even if he is a lame duck.

The news was confirmed by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

According to Wojnarowski, D’Antoni’s agent told the Rockets about his decision on Tuesday, and gave a look into how negotiations went between the coach and the franchise.

There had been conversations constructed around the Rockets idea of a performance-based extension, but those never gained traction with D’Antoni’s camp, sources said.

The successes in D’Antoni’s three years on the job — four Western Conference series victories, a conference finals appearance and an NBA coach of the year award — led D’Antoni to believe that a potential extension would follow the more traditional guaranteed framework of comparable coaching peers.

D’Antoni has been on the bench in Houston since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. In his time at the helm, the Rockets have gone 173-73, including an appearance in the Western Conference Finals last season.