Pistons fire head coach Monty Williams after one season
Over a year after giving him a six-year contract worth nearly $80 million–one that reset the coaching market–the Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Monty Williams, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report Wednesday.
The Pistons recently hired Trajan Langdon to guide their basketball operations. But according to Wojnarowski, the decision to part with Williams was ownership-led.
Nevertheless, Langdon can now bring in his guy in the first year of his new regime–even though it’s late in the process.
While the roster featured plenty of high-upside, athletic bodies, the Pistons were an unmitigated disaster for practically all of 2023-24. In Williams’ lone season, the Pistons finished 14-68, their worst record in franchise history–two games below the 1979-80 Pistons that finished 16-66.
The 2023-24 season included a 28-game losing streak that spanned nearly two months (Oct. 30-Dec. 28), tying the longest single-season streak in NBA History. He did not help matters throughout the season with his abnormal rotations; he had a questionable affinity for Killian Hayes (who was eventually released) and hesitancy for Jaden Ivey (among others).
This also comes over a year after Williams, 52, was fired by the Phoenix Suns after four seasons. He is now getting paid north of $65 million by the Pistons and at least $10 million by the Suns … to not work.
He is 381-404 (.485) in 10 seasons as a head coach with the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the Hornets), Suns and Pistons.
Detroit joins the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers as the only three NBA franchises with head coaching vacancies. The NBA Draft is only one week away, so it’s pretty late in the process. It makes sense to get your guy sooner rather than later.
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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.
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