SAD: Monty Williams, the former Suns coach, was fired after just one season in Detroit.

SAD: Monty Williams, the former Suns coach, was fired after just one season in Detroit.

DETROIT, Michigan — After just one season, in which they finished with an NBA-worst 14-68 record, the Detroit

Pistons dismissed coach Monty Williams on Wednesday.

Owner of the Pistons, Tom Gores, issued a statement saying, I want to thank Monty for his hard work and

dedication. Decisions like these are difficult to make.

During a season, a coach faces a lot of dynamic challenges, which Monty always handled with grace.” But going

forward, we will set a new route after closely examining our performance and evaluating where we stand as a

company.

For Williams, the previous season marked the start of a six-year, $78.5 million contract that was, at the time, the highest paid contract ever awarded to an NBA coach. After the season, the organization began a front office makeover that included the firing of general manager Troy Weaver, the appointment of Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations, and the current head coaching vacancy.

Williams is fired, capping an incredibly bizarre chain of events. As the Suns’ coach in 2021, he took his team to the NBA Finals, where Phoenix led 2-0 before losing to Milwaukee in six games. He was overwhelmingly voted the NBA’s coach of the year in 2022. He was sacked by the Suns in 2023, and the Pistons have since done the same in 2024.

Since then, a coaching contract’s total value has been surpassed; earlier this year, Erik Spoelstra received an eight-year agreement from Miami worth $120 million.

By all accounts, the Pistons’ season was a complete bust. After a 2-1 start, they lost all of their subsequent games for the next two months.The season was a complete disaster due to a 28-game losing streak, which was the longest in NBA history for a single season and tied for the longest when taking into account many seasons. The Pistons’ roster was always changing, and their longest victory streak was two games, which they accomplished three times. Throughout the season, Detroit utilized thirty-one different players, 36 different starting lineups, and 39 double-digit loss results.

With Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers still looking for a coach, Detroit’s opening is the third one in the NBA that is currently open. The Pistons made their move one week ahead of the NBA Draft, when Detroit is scheduled to select its fifth pick on June 26. With that selection, the team hopes to bolster their youthful core, which is led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren.

The only three Pistons to start at least 60 games in the previous season were those three players, all of whom were 22 or younger.

Gores declared, “We are steadfast in our resolve to deliver a championship-caliber team to Detroit.” “We will continue our aim to establish a best-in-class front office that will help us achieve sustained success and we will be thorough and quick in our search for a new head coach to manage our exciting young core of players.”

Williams left the Suns soon after Mat Ishbia acquired the franchise, moving to Detroit. When the squad advanced to the finals in 2021, he guided them to their first postseason trip in ten years.