When the Phoenix Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and five first-round picks for Kevin Durant, they envisioned Monty Williams would be coaching the team to their first NBA Championship.
Yet, after losing in six games to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, we knew changes were coming, with Williams, in particular, being placed under the microscope.
Less than 48 hours after the Suns were eliminated, Phoenix decided to swiftly move on, firing Williams after four seasons with the team. It’s a rapid downfall for Williams, who led the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance in 2021 and won Coach of the Year honors in 2022.
But there’s a new ownership group in Phoenix, with Mat Ishbia, who already found himself at the center of controversy during the postseason. Time will tell whether Ishbia made the right decision here, but now the organization can handpick their own candidate with other respected coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Nick Nurse freshly available as well as many others.
Surely, if Williams wants to continue coaching, he won’t be on the open market for long. With other NBA coaching vacancies in Milwaukee and Toronto, chances are Williams just shot to the top of the list as the next candidate to be interviewed in each city.
Williams has a career coaching record of 367-336, going 29-27 in the playoffs. He led the Suns to 34 wins in his first season before winning 51, 64, and 45. In all, Williams had a 194-115 record in the regular season and a 27-19 mark in the postseason in Phoenix.
The Suns will have candidates knocking down their doors for a chance to coach a team led by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Whether De’Andre Ayton and Chris Paul stick around too remains to be seen, but any way you slice it, the Suns have a talented core.
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