Former 76ers Coach Lands Mega Deal With Detroit Pistons

Former 76ers assistant Monty Williams is returning to the Eastern Conference.

Monty Williams isn’t taking a hiatus after all.

The former Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach was cut loose a few weeks back after a stacked Phoenix Suns roster found themselves eliminated from the playoffs in the Western Conference Semifinal round.

Considering the Suns have changed over ownership in 2023, it seems the franchise wanted to head in a different direction. Their first big move of the offseason was to move on from Monty Williams, who had just coached his way to a Coach of the Year award one season prior.

When Williams became available, he was a prospect for the Sixers, who recently moved on from Doc Rivers after three seasons. Considering the Milwaukee Bucks had an opening, Williams was expected to be a prominent prospect in their search as well, as the Bucks are on the same level as teams such as the Sixers and the Suns.

The Bucks’ few finalists were revealed last week, and many were shocked to find out that Williams was not a name included. At that point, it was becoming clear that the former Philadelphia assistant might be set on taking a year off before landing another job.

As the rumors about a potential break were flying around, it was also reported that the Detroit Pistons were prominent players in Williams’ free agency. However, Williams reportedly turned the Pistons down initially.

But money talks in the NBA, and the Pistons made sure to invest significant money into the veteran head coach, who has a knack for getting the best out of a young team that is trying to transition from a rebuilding franchise to a playoff contender.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Monty Williams officially agreed to a six-year deal with the Detroit Pistons this week. The contract is expected to be worth $78.5 million, which makes his deal the largest in NBA history.

Monty Williams has agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN. It’s the largest coaching deal in NBA history.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2023

Detroit becomes Williams’ third stop as a head coach in the NBA. After spending five seasons in New Orleans, starting in 2010, Williams coached as an assistant in Oklahoma City and Philadelphia before landing with the Suns in 2019. 

During his first season in Phoenix, Williams’ Suns finished with a 34-39 record, missing the playoffs. Over the next three seasons, Phoenix improved and made the playoffs each time, with three Western Conference Semifinals appearances, a Western Conference Finals victory, and an NBA Finals appearance, which ended in defeat to the Bucks.

This past season, the Pistons finished last in the Eastern Conference with a 17-65 record. While injuries to key players certainly affected their chances of improving from the previous season, it’s clear the Pistons are still a long way from contention. 

By bringing in Williams, the Pistons are betting big on the head coach to shift the culture in the right direction and help develop some of their young and promising talents over the next few seasons.

With the Pistons, Sixers, and Bucks all recently making hires, that leaves the head coach market down to two teams; the Suns and the Toronto Raptors.