Firing Monty Williams Won't be Cheap for Suns
The Phoenix Suns' abrupt departure from the postseason figured to have plenty of ripple effects that will shake the organization, the first of which fell tonight with the reported dismissal of head coach Monty Williams.
Williams helped lead the Suns to their current winning ways, first arriving in 2019 and slowly building them into the championship caliber squad you see today. However, Williams was unable to successfully get them over the championship hunt, and Suns brass felt like now was the time to make a move.
The 2022 NBA Coach of the Year won't go home with empty pockets, however. If a coach is fired, they are still entitled to the remaining dollar amount on their deal (if they don't reach a buyout agreement), meaning Williams will still get a solid chunk of change from Phoenix.
How much that is remains to be seen, though Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro has a pretty good idea.
"Monty has one year left on his original contract of 5 years (I'm told it was 5 years for $25 million) so $5 million left on that. He signed an extension that made him a top 5 highest paid coach - it was either 2 or 3 years for between $8-10 million per from what I am told. So to buy him out you are looking at roughly either $21-$25 million OR $29-$35 million," said Gambo in a tweet.
Williams inked his extension just last offseason, being fired not even a full calendar year since putting pen to paper.
The decision to fire Williams reportedly came from Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who will be paying out of his own pockets whatever is owed to his now former head coach.
Between the deal for Kevin Durant (which pushed the Suns deeper into the luxury tax) and now this, it's clear Ishbia is willing to spend the required money in order to make things happen.
