According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and James Edwards III, the Detroit Pistons are “seriously pursuing” Monty Williams and “are preparing a significant offer” for him to become their next head coach.
Sources: The Detroit Pistons are seriously pursuing 2022 NBA Coach of the Year Monty Williams to be their new head coach and are preparing a significant offer.
Full story and details at @TheAthletic with @JLEdwardsIII: https://t.co/psIxpZRf0z
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 31, 2023
Charania and Edwards reported that the offer is worth roughly $10 million per year and the franchise “is hopeful that Williams would consider accepting the job.”
“Initially, Williams told teams — including the Pistons — that he was interested in taking a year off,” Charania and Edwards wrote.
Williams, who was fired by the Phoenix Suns earlier this month, is still owed approximately $21 million over the next three years by the Suns.
If Williams elects to bypass the offer, Milwaukee Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee “is expected to emerge as the likely choice,” according to Charania and Edwards.
Williams spent the past four seasons as head coach of the Suns. He helped snap their decade-long playoff drought, guided them to their third ever NBA Finals appearance in 2020-21 and was named Coach of the Year in 2021-22, when Phoenix won a franchise-record 64 games. However, the Suns have bowed out of the playoffs with second-round exits the past two years, including blowout losses in each of their last two elimination games. Shortly after the Denver Nuggets bounced Phoenix in six games, Williams was let go. The Suns went 194-115 and won five playoff series during Williams’ four seasons at the helm.