Pistons fire Williams with $65M left on deal
The Detroit Pistons dismissed head coach Monty Williams after one season on Wednesday, owing him the remainder of the $76.5 million, sixyear deal he signed a year ago.
“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” team owner Tom Gores said in a team news release. “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.”
Detroit finished the 2023-24 season with an NBA-worst 14-68 record, a franchise low, that included a 28-game losing streak.
New president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and the new coach will be asked to turn around a franchise that has spun its wheels over the past five years, not winning more than 23 games in a season in that span.
Beginning with the 2003-04 season, the Pistons won the NBA championship, lost the NBA Finals and then dropped three straight Eastern Conference finals. Since the 2008-09 season, they have made only three playoff appearances, all first-round exits.
The Pistons have had nine head coaches since Larry Brown led them to the NBA title in 2004.
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