On May 12, the Phoenix Suns ended their season with a non-competitive 125-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets. One day later, the Suns—led by new owner Mat Ishbia—decided to part ways with their head coach Monty Williams. Never mind that the Suns reached the NBA Finals two years ago or that they had the best record in the league last season. And let's overlook that Williams had only a few weeks to figure out how to incorporate Kevin Durant into the team's offense after Phoenix traded for him at the trade deadline.
None of that mattered. Ishbia wanted Williams out, and the coach never stood a chance.
Williams has pretty quickly bounced back onto his feet, though. Less than three weeks after he was fired, Williams agreed to a deal with the Detroit Pistons. The contract is worth $78.5 million over six years and includes options for a seventh and eighth season that could push the total amount into the $100 million range. In terms of average annual value, Williams is now the highest-paid coach in the league.
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From fired to wealthiest, all in the span of fewer than 21 days—it's a great redemption story for Williams. However, he'll have his work cut out for him. The Pistons finished 17-65 last season and have missed the playoffs in 12 out of the previous 14 seasons. They haven't even won a playoff game since 2008—when Chauncey Billups was still on the team. Billups is now the coach of the Portland Trailblazers. So, yes, some time has passed since they've seen success.
The Pistons were tied for the best odds of scoring the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, but they fell all the way to fifth during the draft lottery. Williams won't have the luxury of coaching a generational talent like Victor Wembanyama, though he does have the 2021 top pick in Cade Cunningham, plus lottery picks in Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes, and Jalen Duren on the roster. He'll also likely have input into the team's draft selection later this month.
It's a roster with a lot of promise. So far, that's been it. The Pistons are betting on Williams to help turn things around. If he can return the team to postseason success—much as he did with the Suns—he'll be one of the most popular people in the Motor City.
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