The Detroit Pistons have parted ways with head coach Monty Williams following a wretched season in which the team limped to a 14-68 record and its share of a 28-game losing streak—the longest in NBA history. This decision comes just over a year after the Pistons made Williams, at that time, the highest-paid coach in NBA history with a six-year, $78.5 million contract.
Even with this firing, Williams will still get $65 million over the next five years because all contracts for head coaches in the NBA are guaranteed.
“Decisions like this are tough to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said 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,” Gores added.
Gores then reassured that the team remained committed to fielding a championship-caliber squad in Detroit. “We are unwavering in our commitment to bring a championship-caliber team to Detroit,” he added. “We will be diligent and swift in our search for a new head coach to lead our exciting young core of players and will continue our vision towards building a best-in-class front office that will help us achieve sustainable success.”
The Pistons turned in the worst record in the league for the second straight season, as they posted a record of 17-65 last season. But the team’s fortune didn’t change in the NBA Draft Lottery, moving down to the fifth pick for the second straight year, missing out on top prospects such as Victor Wembanyama.
Williams’ Detroit tenure stands far from the success of his recent past, where he joined the Pistons after leading the Phoenix Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and winning the Coach of the Year Award in 2022, before being let go by the Suns in 2023 and taking over the Detroit reins.
Also, the Pistons had very little cohesion, with Detroit using 31 different players and posting 36 different starting lineups while logging 39 double-digit losses. They also didn’t win three straight games all season for the second year in a row.
Detroit now faces the same situation as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers in seeking a new head coach. This will be one of the largest searches for a new lead individual for the Pistons, who are looking to develop a competitive roster for the future.
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