REPORT: Pistons Agree to Six-Year, $72 Million Contract with Head Coach Monty Williams

Monty Williams / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons have finally concluded the franchise's search for its next head coach.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Pistons have come to an agreement with former Pheonix Suns head coach, Monty Williams, to a six-year, $72 million contract.

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1664088286116347904

The contract makes Williams, 51, the highest-paid coach in the NBA, with an annual average salary of $12 million. Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs previously held this ranking, as he currently makes $11.5 million annually.

This news comes just hours after it was reported that Detroit had en-engaged with Williams on contract discussions. Williams had previously informed teams, including the Detroit Pistons, that he was planning to take the following season off from coaching.

The Detroit Pistons had held numerous interviews with other finalists, including former UConn Men's Basketball head coach Kevin Ollie, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee, and New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins.

Williams was dismissed as head coach of the Phoenix Suns on May 13th, shortly after Phoenix was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. In his four seasons with the Suns, Williams led the team to an NBA Finals appearance, was named the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year, and recorded the most wins as a head coach since 2021. He held a 194-115 (.628) record in the regular season and was 27-19 in the playoffs during his time in Phoenix.

The Detroit Pistons promoted Dwane Casey within the organization at the conclusion of the 2022-23 regular season after the team finished with a 17-65 record, the worst in the NBA. Williams takes over as the head coach of a team in desperate need to take the next step forward in its rebuild. Heralded for his work in player development, Williams will be tasked with coaching and developing a young team centered around franchise pillars Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

The Pistons and Williams are expected to finalize a contract in the coming days.

https://youtu.be/429m0D1kYTk