After four consecutive seasons where they didn’t top 23 wins, the Detroit Pistons are ready to prove they’re tired of losing. Two months ago, Dwane Casey announced his intent to move to the front office, helping the Pistons find a new coach. That process has heavily focused on Monty Williams, who was recently let go by the Phoenix Suns.
According to Shams Charania and James Edwards of The Athletic, the Pistons are ready to offer Williams $10 million per season to take over head coaching duties. Said rate would make Williams one of the highest-paid NBA coaches. The offer seems to have been in the works for some time now, as the report suggests Detroit “has been hopeful Williams would consider accepting over the past several weeks.”
Williams has a 367-336 record in his NBA coaching career, including going 194-115 across four seasons with the Suns. During his tenure in Phoenix, Williams led the team to the NBA Finals in 2021 and won NBA Coach of the Year in 2022. A season later, he was ousted after being eliminated by the Finals-bound Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.
Related: Top NBA head coach candidates for 2023, including Monty Williams and Becky Hammon
Other names linked to the Pistons’ vacancy include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie, and New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. However, Charania’s report suggests Lee would become the team’s next favorite should Williams decline the enticing offer.
Yet, Williams reportedly began the offseason by informing teams he’d prefer to take a season off before deciding on his next venture. We should also add that Williams is still owed an estimated $21 million from the Suns, which he’ll receive over the next three years.
Whoever takes over the Pistons’ roster will have the task of improving the team with the NBA’s worst record from last season. Yet, Detroit should receive a natural boost just from having Cade Cunningham return to action after missing 70 games due to a stress fracture last season. Plus, the Pistons have the fifth pick in the NBA draft, giving them yet another way to add more talented pieces to a core led by Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, among others.
Related: Detroit Pistons draft preview: 3 NBA Draft targets, including Ausar Thompson