Kentucky close to new deal with John Calipari

The University of Kentucky and John Calipari are close to extending the basketball coach’s current contract another year at $8 million through 2022.

Calipari is scheduled to earn a $1.6 million longevity bonus on July 1.

The new contract would be a seven-year, $54 million deal.

The news comes on the heels of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans firing head coach Monty Williams on Tuesday.

Already there are reports that Calipari is on the list of candidates that the Pelicans will consider. New Orleans' roster includes two players Calipari has coached: Anthony Davis at Kentucky and Tyreke Evans at Memphis.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Kentucky close to new deal with John Calipari."