Billy Donovan has agreed to leave the Gators to coach the Orlando Magic, an official in the NBA told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been finalized, said Donovan agreed to a five-year, $27.5 million contract.

University of Florida head coach has delayed signing an extension with the Gators for over a week and now there might be a good reason for it.

Sources have informed the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic have made Donovan a big offer and expect him to accept by week's end.

More information as it becomes available.

The Orlando Magic have contacted the agent for University of Florida Coach Billy Donovan, trying to gauge his interest in becoming their next head coach.

His interest, though, remained unclear Tuesday because neither Donovan nor anyone from the Magic was discussing the issue. Much of the Magic staff was at the NBA Predraft Camp that opened Tuesday at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Donovan was in Destin for the Southeastern Conference spring meetings.

"I haven't talked to those guys," Donovan told the Tampa Tribune in Destin Tuesday afternoon. Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley also said Tuesday that Donovan was "close" to agreeing to a contract extension to remain in Gainesville.

Two NBA front office executives attending the camp confirmed that the contact had been made with the agency representing Donovan, although neither was certain of Donovan's interest.

Another possibility for the Magic could be veteran Larry Brown.

Orlando Magic officials have contacted the Spurs to speak with assistant P.J. Carlesimo about their head-coaching job, an NBA source said Saturday.

Carlesimo, who declined comment, has served on Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's staff for the past five seasons. He was previously head coach at Portland and Golden State.

The Magic dismissed coach Brian Hill on Wednesday.

Seattle officials also have had a brief conversation with the Spurs about Carlesimo and fellow assistant coach Don Newman. The Sonics also are expected to seek permission to speak with assistant general manager Sam Presti about their general manager vacancy.

While the Spurs are in the playoffs, Popovich is aware some of the teams with openings are working on a different timeline. Two years ago he allowed Carlesimo and Danny Ferry ? who left the Spurs to become Cleveland's general manager ? to interview for jobs during a break between playoff games.

The Orlando Magic might take awhile to find a new coach, but the search won't spill into July.

The Magic want a coach in place to replace Brian Hill at least by late June before the green flag drops on free agency July 1. They want a free agent to know who will be on the sideline in Orlando -- and a new coach presumably would want input on personnel.

The Orlando Magic requested and were granted permission to talk to Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni about their vacant head-coaching position.

The Magic fired coach Brian Hill on Wednesday and are believed to be seeking a replacement who can bring an up-tempo style and nurture the skills of budding big man Dwight Howard.

Iavaroni would fit both qualities. He has served as lead assistant for the past 3 1/2 seasons of his five-year stint with the Suns, who have led the league in scoring since 2004-05. He also has played a major part in the development of center Amar? Stoudemire.

Memphis was the first team to meet with Iavaroni about a head-coaching position this month and might be a more likely fit.

Former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who turned down an offer this week to coach the Indiana Pacers, said Thursday that he has "a great interest" in coaching the Orlando Magic next season.

Orlando General Manager Otis Smith announced Thursday that coach Brian Hill will not return.

Said Van Gundy: "It's a good job and not much of a lifestyle adjustment for my family."

Brian Hill had been the ex-coach of the Orlando Magic for only a few hours when the club began fielding calls, e-mails and contacts from, or on behalf, of candidates looking to replace him.

Hill was fired Wednesday afternoon and by nightfall, another coach named Hill expressed his interest in returning to Orlando -- and might even offer an intriguing package deal to the Magic.

Bob Hill, a former Magic assistant who has been head coach of four NBA teams, told the Sentinel on Thursday that he had sent an e-mail to Magic President Bob Vander Weide.

Bob Hill was fired by the Seattle SuperSonics this season, but he developed a close relationship with Sonics forward Rashard Lewis. Lewis is one of the star free agents available to the Magic this summer, along with point guard Chauncey Billups and guard Vince Carter.

"I think Rashard would be one of the top 10 forwards in the East,'' Bob Hill said.

Former Magic guard Brian Shaw, who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, also wants to be considered for the Orlando opening.

lorida basketball Coach Billy Donovan, whose name had been mentioned prominently as a possible replacement for Brian Hill as coach of the Orlando Magic, said Thursday that he is working on getting a new contract completed with the University of Florida.

"My focus is on coaching at the University of Florida,'' Donovan said. "I look forward to sitting down with Jeremy (Foley) and Dr. (Bernie) Machen and finalizing a contract in the very near future."

The Orlando Magic announced Wednesday that Brian Hill will not return as head coach, but will have the option to return to the organization in another capacity.

?Brian?s contributions to the Orlando Magic have been tremendous,? said President Bob Vander Weide. ?We appreciate everything Brian did for us as a head coach in taking us to this point, and hope he decides to stay with the organization.?

Added General Manager Otis Smith: ?We will miss Brian?s disciplined approach, game preparation and attention to detail, and passion he displayed as our head coach. We look forward to taking the next step toward being a championship-caliber team.?

Hill returned to Orlando as head coach on May 24, 2005. He was 76-88 (.463) over the last two years, including 40-42 this past season. Orlando lost in the First Round of NBA Playoffs 2007 to top-seeded Detroit. Hill was named the NBA?s Coach of the Month this past November after guiding the team to a 12-4 start.