The Detroit Pistons have fired their head coach Monty Williams. The move comes just one season after the franchise made Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA with a six-year, $78 million contract.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the decision to on from Williams was made by the team owner Tom Gores. As a result, the Pistons will remain responsible for paying out the remainder of $65 million in Williams’ deal.
The Pistons officially confirmed the news via a press release issued on their website.
“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” said Gores in a statement. “Coaching has many dynamic challenges that emerge during a season and Monty always handled those with grace. However, after reviewing our performance carefully and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course moving forward.”
After being fired by the Phoenix Suns following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, Monty Williams initially wanted to take a break from coaching. However, Gores was aggressive in pursuing him as the next Pistons’ head coach, hoping he could turn the franchise’s fortunes.
Williams ended up accepting the job, but endured a challenging campaign. The Pistons finished the 2023-24 season with the worst record in the league at 14-68 while also having a 28-game losing streak at one point, which was tied for NBA record.
After concluding its season, the Pistons made changes to the front office, firing general manager Troy Weaver and hiring former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon as the new president of basketball operations. Williams was expected to keep his job, if nothing, because of his huge contract, but it appears that the franchise decided on a full reset and will now conduct a head-coaching search for a second consecutive season.
