The Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Monty Williams just one year into a six-year contract.
Williams is still owed more than $65m after signing the NBA’s largest coaching contract last June, the month after being fired by the Phoenix Suns, who handed him a $20m pay-off.
The Monty Williams timeline…
May 2023: Fired by the Phoenix Suns, securing a $20 million-plus buyout.
June 2023: Hired by the Detroit Pistons, securing a 6-year, $78.5 million deal — the largest coaching contract in NBA history at the time.
June 2024: Fired by the Detroit… pic.twitter.com/3prkKnyoGD
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 19, 2024
The 52-year-old is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year from his time with the Suns but oversaw a disastrous campaign with the Pistons finishing dead last with a 14-68 record.
New team president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon is understood to have been instructed to fire Williams by owner Tom Gores and vice chairman Arn Tellem, with the search on for a new coach.
Williams had a good relationship with previous general manager Troy Weaver who was fired during a season which the season the Pistons tied an NBA record for a 28-game losing streak.
They have the No5 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft and already had the third-youngest team in the league in 2023/24.
Williams guided the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2022 after a 64-18 regular season record. He was 194-115 (.628) in four seasons in Arizona having spent five years with the New Orleans Pelicans before that, winning 173 and losing 221 games for a .439 record but finishing with a play-off appearance.
