Lakers News: Monty Williams Firing Could Spell Trouble for Los Angeles

The Detroit Pistons are now on the hook for $65 million to pay Monty Williams not to coach.

Feb 19, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Team LeBron head coach Monty Williams, left, talks with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during the NBA All-Star practice at Wolstein Center. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams was fired after just one horrific season in charge, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 2022 Coach of the Year has now been fired twice in each of the last two seasons, first for failing to bring the Phoenix Suns past the second round during the 2023 playoffs in a six-game loss to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets (when the Suns got swept out of the first round in this year's playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, owner Mat Ishbia quickly fired Williams' replacement, former title-winning Lakers head coach Frank Vogel), and now for guiding one of the single-worst teams in the history of the league. Detroit tied the NBA record for the most consecutive defeats, with 28 straight, ultimately finishing with one of the most grisly single season win totals ever, going a hilariously pathetic 14-68.

Williams, who had wanted to step away from coaching after being canned by Phoenix, inked a six-season, $78 million offer he couldn't refuse that helped totally re-set the market for head coach salaries.

Ultimately, the choice stemmed from team owner Tom Gores and vice chairman Arn Tellem. Williams had been speaking with new president Trajan Langdon over the last few weeks about Detroit's big picture future. Per Woj, it was Langdon who told Williams he was gone on Wednesday morning.

The Williams firing spells trouble for Los Angeles, who still don't have a head coach after firing Darvin Ham. Now, with just over a week to go prior to the 2024 NBA Draft, a potentially more appetizing opportunity has just arrived. The Lakers' ceiling seems clear: the team boasts two aging All-Stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, some solid young talent, and some mediocre vets. While Los Angeles has the assets to potentially add another major piece, it would come at the expense of some critical depth and draft equity. It's hard to see what L.A. can add to escape its fate of being, at best, a second round playoff out at this stage.

Detroit and the Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, occupy the East's lesser conference, have two owners who are more than willing to spend big, and won't be weighed with the kind of exposure or championship expectations that arrives in L.A. The Cavs fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this summer, despite reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since James left town after the 2017-18 season. The team has three intriguing All-Stars rostered, plus a possible future fourth in Evan Mobley. The Pistsons obviously no longer wish to be the single-worst team in the NBA, but that's a pretty low bar to clear when you're so loaded with lottery talent. Even if some of the pieces, especially former lottery pick guards Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, seem to be a bit ill-fitting, the club is probably better than its record, and could benefit from a more developmentally-oriented coach and probably a trade.

More Lakers: Magic Johnson Talks Post-Playing Relationship with City of LA