Pistons fire former Suns coach Monty Williams after 1 season

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

1 2 minutes read

Monty Williams was fired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons after his first season there, following a successful run with the Phoenix Suns, the Pistons announced Wednesday.

“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a press release. “Coaching has many dynamic challenges that arise over the course of a season and Monty has always met them with grace. However, after carefully reviewing our performance and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course for the future.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news Wednesday morning.

“I have great respect for Monty as a coach and as a person and I am confident that he will be successful in his future endeavors,” Gores added in the press release. “I sincerely wish him and his family the best.”

Williams agreed to a record six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Pistons after being fired by the Suns, but struggled early on. Detroit finished with the worst record in the league at 14-68, losing a record 28 consecutive games.

The Pistons still owe Williams more than $65 million, Wojnarowski reported. Williams had considered taking a year off after his split with the Suns, but was convinced to take the job in Detroit.

A year later, the Pistons fired him.

“We are unwavering in our commitment to bringing a championship-caliber team to Detroit,” Gores said. said in the press release. “We will be diligent and expeditious in our search for a new head coach to lead our exciting young core of players and will continue our vision of building a best-in-class front office that will help us achieve sustained success.”

Williams coached the Suns to a 194-115 record in four seasons. The Suns reached the 2021 Finals in his second season and won a franchise-record 64 games in his third.

Williams won the NBA Coach of the Year in the 2021-22 season, but the Suns fell to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals in lopsided fashion. Phoenix reached the playoffs for a third straight year under Williams the following season, but was again eliminated in the second round by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

This is after Mat Ishbia took over as team owner in 2023 and completed a blockbuster deal to acquire Kevin Durant before the 2022-23 trade deadline.

The Suns then hired Frank Vogel, but fired him after one season after Minnesota swept them in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. They have since hired Mike Budenholzer, who coached the Bucks to victory final against the Suns.

There are now three coaching vacancies in the NBA: the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Pistons, who have a new president of basketball operations in Trajan Langdon.

This was Williams' third head coaching tenure in the NBA as he posted a 173-221 record in five seasons in New Orleans.

Do you have any thoughts on the current state of the Suns? Contact Suns insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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Lina Portman

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