The Phoenix Suns took a hard loss against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the postseason. Soon after, head coach Monty Williams was fired from the Suns. He was one of the three well-known coaches of the league who had been fired. Though a few days later, the Detroit Pistons showed some interest in hiring Williams. What followed was a massive contract for Monty, which would make him the richest head coach of the league.
The Pistons offered Williams a 6-year $78.5 million contract, with the richest annual value per year. In Phoenix, the organization expected title contention after landing Kevin Durant on their roster during the trade deadline. Chris Paul, on the other hand, the veteran presence on the team was also waived off by Phoenix. Everything seemed to go downhill for the organization. Though for Monty, he’s already found his new home in Detroit, and his contract doesn’t only include a bunch of zeroes.
Monty Williams wasn’t ready at first for the job in Detroit
As Monty was offered the job in Detroit, things weren’t the best back home for him. His wife, Lisa Keeth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Williams’ first wife had tragically passed away in a car accident back in 2016. He married Lisa the following year. Monty received the news about Lisa in the middle of the playoffs and wanted to take a season off from coaching after hearing the news. Though after genetic testing, the couple found the cancer in its early stages.
The Pistons included health care benefits in Monty Williams’ contract for his wife as she fights breast cancer, per @omarisankofa
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 14, 2023
The Pistons on the other hand included health care benefits for Williams’ wife in the contract. It would include private jet travel and other health care benefits along with assistance in finding new housing and school for his kids. It was pretty generous for the organization to include such benefits for Williams and his family. Monty’s role in Detroit is quite crucial as he’ll have to coach a team with a young core. Back in Phoenix, Williams had experienced players at hand, including a veteran.
Coaching the Pistons, the organization trusts Williams to get the team to new heights. The Suns had a record of 19-63 in the 2018-19 season. The following season, Williams would take on the role of the head coach, as the team improved to 34-39. Not only that, in the 2020-21 season, the Suns had a fabulous record of 51-21, and would enter the NBA Finals after 28 years. It would be interesting to see whether Williams can bring such improvement to the Pistons as well.