After being fired by the Phoenix Suns following a second-round exit from the Denver Nuggets, Monty Williams didn’t find himself out of a job for long. The longtime NBA coach is heading to Detroit where he landed the biggest contract in NBA history for a head coach, earning north of $13 million a year – with the chance to win even more about the incentives – to take the Pistons to the next level.
Monty Williams has agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, sources have told ESPN. It’s the biggest coaching contract in NBA history.
— Adrien Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2023
One would assume that those incentives include some that are very elusive (like winning a championship), but even so, it’s a huge amount of money, exceeding Gregg Popovich’s contract in San Antonio. It’s clear the Pistons are willing to spend to land one of the best coaching candidates out there despite being a team with plenty of questions coming this offseason. Cade Cunningham’s return is the main reason for excitement in Detroit, but after falling to fifth in this year’s draft despite having the league’s worst record last season, there’s no guarantee they’ll add a star alongside of the former No. 1 pick.
With the arrival of Williams, it certainly looks like Detroit will be active this summer in the trade and free agent market to improve its roster, because it’s not hiring coaches you’re doing if you’re trying to continue to build slowly thanks to young players.