Williams’ job is in jeopardy after just one season.
On June 6 (KST), local U.S. media outlet The Athletic reported on the situation of Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams.
According to the report, “Detroit owner Tom Gores recently hired Trajan Langdon as president, and the first thing Langdon will do is make a judgment on the head coach and staff. Detroit recently parted ways with head coach Troy Weaver. If he doesn’t think Williams is the right fit, 홀덤 he can fire him, too.”
Williams was hired by Detroit ahead of the 2023-2024 season. He parted ways with the Phoenix Suns after missing the playoffs last season and was looking for a break, but Detroit lured him back with a hefty payday. He signed a six-year, $78.5 million deal with Detroit, which at the time was the highest contract ever for a head coach.
Since Williams’ big contract, NBA head coach salaries have skyrocketed across the board. Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs), and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) have all signed deals worth more than $10 million per year.
Detroit hired Williams at the time because they wanted to finalize their rebuild. Led by ace Cade Cunningham, the team hoped to make the playoffs with a mix of up-and-comers like Jaylen Ivy and Jaylen Durant and veterans like Monte Morris and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
But the results were disastrous. The prospects didn’t develop at all, and the veterans were sidelined with injuries. Detroit started the season with a 28-game losing streak, the longest losing streak in NBA history.
Williams is also to blame for Detroit’s struggles. Known as the Ducks’ head coach, Williams was reported to be feuding with Ivy and didn’t get along well with his prospects. That’s not to say he hasn’t been tactically astute. Detroit fans have also turned cold on him.
The problem is the remaining salary. He signed a six-year deal, so he has five years left on his contract. That“s a lot of money for a single starter, so it”s not easy to make the decision to cut him. That doesn”t make it easy to decide to keep Williams at the helm next season. At this point, Detroit is in desperate need of change.
What will Detroit’s brass decide? All eyes will be on Williams’ future.