NEWSLETTER
Almost two months after veteran head coach Dwane Casey decided to step down, the Detroit Pistons have found their new head coach.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III, former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has agreed in principle to take over the Pistons’ gig. The deal is reportedly worth $72 million over six seasons, which would surely make him one of the NBA’s highest-paid head coaches.
News of the potential hire broke earlier on Wednesday. It appeared the Pistons were set on Williams and were willing to pay whatever price was necessary to land him. While the organization clearly isn’t ready to compete with the NBA’s best, they have some of the most impressive young talent in the NBA. Williams could be the perfect veteran presence to help the organization take the next step.
All things considered, that’s something to keep an eye on for the rest of the Eastern Conference and the Chicago Bulls. We talk a little bit more about that in our original post on the Williams-Pistons link, which you can find below.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and James J. Edwards III, the Detroit Pistons are targeting Monty Williams as their next head coach.
The organization is reportedly willing to extend a lucrative deal that would net him around $10 million per season. This would make him one of the highest-paid head coaches in the NBA.
The Pistons were previously looking at names like former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee. Charania wrote that if Williams doesn’t accept the gig, Lee could end up receiving the offer.
What appears clear, though, is that the job is Williams if he wants it. And it would undoubtedly be a fantastic hire for a rebuilding organization. Williams proved to be among the league’s best while he was with the Phoenix Suns in his second-ever head coaching stint. He led the Suns to a 62.8 percent winning percentage in his four seasons with the team, which included an appearance in the NBA Finals during the 2019-20 campaign and a shocking 64 wins during the 2021-22 season.
With all of that in mind, it would feel like a matter of if not when for a position with a more win-ready team to land in his lap. However, it appears Detroit is ready to make it worth his while as they hope to take the next step in their rebuild.
Headlined by a young backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey – who are both just 21 years old – the Pistons have the makings of a bright future. They’ve also added intriguing prospects like Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stweart via the draft in recent years, as well as recently acquired former No. 2-overall pick James Wiseman via trade. In other words, Williams would have a ton of talent to work with, and who is to say his veteran coaching experience can’t help them make a leap sooner than later?
Indeed, that would be the scary thing about this for the Chicago Bulls. With the Bucks still considered a Finals contender, the Cavaliers built for a bright future, and the Pacers led by a potential superstar in the making in Tyrese Haliburton, things aren’t getting any easier in the Central Division. Chicago has repeatedly been able to bank on being better the Detroit in recent years, but that gap could begin to shrink that much more with Monty Williams coming aboard.
