NEWSLETTER
In a surprising move, the Pistons have parted ways with head coach Monty Williams after just one season in charge.
Williams’ first season with Detroit couldn’t have gone much worse, as the team went 14-68 and watched themselves fall into the No. 5 slot in next week’s NBA Draft. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this was a decision made by ownership that will allow new president Trajan Langdon to search for the team’s next head coach.
For what it’s worth, Langdon I’m sure had some say in the process. But any time you’re cutting bait with five years and $65 million left on a contract, ownership will always have to sign off. So, in other words, this move wasn’t just a new president coming in and making changes to get his own people in. This was a move that the entire organization and front office were on board with.
Another reason this choice comes as a shock is that just yesterday, NBA Insider Marc Stein reported it seemed like Williams’ job was safe. As he pointed out, Detroit had just hired Fred Vinson, a Pelicans assistant, away from New Orleans. Rarely do you see an assistant hired just prior to a head coach being fired!
Pistons Part Ways With Monty Williams, So What’s Next?
While one year isn’t necessarily a ton of time to analyze a coach, last year was a really bad one for Detroit. The Pistons have a pretty solid young core led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. While no one expected the record to be pretty, seeing that group take a step forward under Williams wasn’t an unreasonable vision. A 14-68 record and an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, though, were apparently more than enough for ownership to make their call.
Detroit will now pay Williams $65 million not to couch their basketball team, which is the 5th-highest salary ever made by a player or coach in the organization.
Prior to his stint in Detroit, Williams did have success with the Suns. In four seasons in charge in Phoenix, he had a .628 winning percentage and went to the NBA Finals in his second season in 2021. However, after that year, the Suns never got back to that point, resulting in Williams and some of the Suns’ stars butted heads. Williams also coached in New Orleans for five seasons before his run in Phoenix.
Williams will likely get some head coaching interviews this offseason, and I’m sure at some point he’ll be back in charge somewhere. Two-time NBA Coach of the Year winners usually get another chance, and the Pistons presented a VERY different task than what he dealt with in Phoenix. The Lakers head coaching vacancy is the biggest one remaining, but after the decision by Dan Hurley to turn that job down, it appears to be JJ Redick’s job to lose. It will be interesting to see if Williams’ name surfaces at all in that search now that he has become available.
