Pistons willing to make Monty Williams one of NBA's highest-paid coaches in heavy pursuit: report
Pistons aren't looking to fast-track their process with their next head coach
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Detroit Pistons are reportedly "heavily pursuing" Monty Williams to be their next head coach, according to The Athletic
Not only do they want the coach with the most wins since 2021 in their locker room. They're willing to make him one of the highest-paid head coaches in the process.
The Athletic reports Detroit is willing to offer Williams $10 million per season.
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Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns during Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets May 11, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
If Williams were to accept a deal with that price tag, it would give him the second-highest salary among NBA head coaches based on salaries from the 2022 season.
The San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich, who has the most wins by an NBA head coach in league history, was the highest-paid coach this past season at $11.5 million. After him, Golden State Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr came in at $9.5 million.
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Williams wasn’t even in the top 10 last season, but the Pistons recognize how much he’s won with the Phoenix Suns over the past four seasons. He finished his tenure in the desert at 194-115.
Since the Suns surprisingly parted ways with Williams, he has been one of the hottest head coaches on the market. The Athletic reported that the Pistons are hoping he considers them over a contender for next season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Devin Booker (1) stands with head coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals at Footprint Center May 11, 2023, in Phoenix, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Pistons need a lot of work. They owned the worst record in the NBA this season. And they were unlucky in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. The Pistons had the best chance alongside the Spurs and Houston Rockets at 14% to land the first overall pick. But when the ping pong balls were selected, the Pistons got the fifth overall pick, falling outside the top three.
The Spurs won the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, while the Rockets got the fourth overall pick.
Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns before Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets May 9, 2023, at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Detroit doesn’t want to speed up its process to get back into the playoffs, so Williams would have to be on board with developing the team’s young talent, which includes Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman and others.