Inside The Spurs

Pistons to Hire Monty Williams; Spurs, Gregg Popovich Affected?

The San Antonio Spurs may have to empty their pockets to Gregg Popovich after Monty Williams became the highest-paid coach in the NBA.

Jeremy Brener

Pistons to Hire Monty Williams; Spurs, Gregg Popovich Affected?
Pistons to Hire Monty Williams; Spurs, Gregg Popovich Affected? /
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The Detroit Pistons are in the process of making Monty Williams their new head coach, offering him a six-year contract worth $78.5 million.

The deal makes Williams the highest-paid coach in the entire NBA, surpassing Gregg Popovich. In an ironic twist of fate, Popovich coached Williams during his playing career from 1996-98, the first two years of his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs. Williams is projected to make $13.1 million per season, while Popovich made $13 million last season, per Bleacher Report.

Now, Williams has taken over Popovich's spot as the highest-paid coach in the league, but it may not be long for Pop to take that No. 1 spot back again.

Popovich, 74, is still not under contract for the 2023-24 season, but all signs point to him returning to San Antonio for his 28th season at the helm. After the Spurs were awarded the No. 1 pick, Popovich flew to France to meet with Victor Wembanyama, the prospective top selection, according to ESPN.

Popovich can use this market reset as a way to earn a pricier contract for himself. While Popovich isn't in the coaching profession for the money at this point in his career, his tenure deserves to be compensated properly. He likely won't command a deal for as long as Williams, but the average annual value on his contract should be a bar that Popovich's camp will want to set once negotiations begin.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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