Monty Williams wasn’t out of a job for long.
Williams, who was recently fired by the Suns, is going to be the Detroit Pistons’ next coach.
Williams and Pistons agreed in principle on a six-year, $72 million deal on Wednesday night for him to become the franchise’s new head coach, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The deal averages out to $12 million per season plus two additional team option years that could push it to eight years, $100 million.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has the pact at six-years, $78.5 million.
This was a massive salary commitment and a huge coup for the Pistons, who went a dismal 17-65 last season.
Detroit owner Tom Gores and general manager Troy Weaver were able to snag the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year to build a new culture around a talented young Detroit roster.
The Suns had fired the 51-year-old Williams on May 13 after Phoenix fell to the Denver Nuggets in six games during their Western Conference semifinal series.
Williams, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, was fired despite a successful four-year tenure with Phoenix, in which he posted a 194-115 record and winning 63 percent of his games.
He has been the NBA’s winningest coach since 2021.
Williams’ time with the Suns was highlighted by a trip to the 2021 NBA Finals, in which the Suns blew a 2-0 lead and lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams blamed himself for the Suns’ poor showing in their Game 6 loss to the Nuggets.
“I take that personally, not having our team ready to play in the biggest game of the year,” Williams said. “That’s something that I pride myself on and it just didn’t happen. … That’s something I have to take a deep look at, everything I’m doing.”
But now he will have another chance — and some time, thanks to this long-term deal — to try to build the Pistons into an NBA Finals contender.
