Detroit: The Detroit Pistons have reportedly fired coach Monty Williams after just one season. This surprising move comes despite Williams having a hefty $65 million remaining on his contract which will be paid to the veteran over the next five years.
However, with a new front office led by President Trajan Langdon, the Pistons are charting a new course. According to a report by ESPN, this decision to let Williams go stemmed from ownership. Detroit will now embark on another coaching search.
During Williams’ first year as head coach for the Pistons, the team lost 28 straight games, the longest losing streak within one season in NBA history. The side finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and held the worst record (14-68) in the league having won only 14 of their 82 games
Williams, a respected coach with two Coach of the Year awards, arrived in Detroit last year with a massive six-year deal after leaving the Phoenix Suns. He initially planned a sabbatical due to his wife’s cancer diagnosis but ultimately joined the Pistons’ rebuild project under GM Troy Weaver.
In other news, ESPN also reported that 2019 NBA winner Pascal Siakam will be signing a new four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract to return to the Indiana Pacers. Siakam plans to sign the deal once the league’s free agency moratorium ends on July 6.
–IANS