Monty Williams principally agreed to handle the Detroit Pistons as a head coach on a reported six-year deal worth $78.5 million, sources told Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The pact will be finalized in the coming days.
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports, the contract could reach over $100 million with incentives for Williams, and there will be additional team options following the six-year partnership of both sides.
The soon finalization of the figure will put Williams as the highest-earning head coach in the league, topping San Antonio Spurs’ longtime mentor Gregg Popovich who earns $13MM annually (h/t Sportico).
Charania already reported earlier this Wednesday that the Pistons are aggressively pursuing Williams with team governor Tom Gores and general manager Troy Weaver at the front. Amid categorizing both former Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie and ex-Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee as their finalists, they eventually went on to tap and convince Williams to join them who initially turned down their offer.
Detroit has been determined to elevate its status from being a rebuilding team in the NBA. After a lowly season which saw them tallying a league-worst 17-65 record, they moved all in to sign the service of Williams, who has been a proven development and culture setter coach.
Williams was integral to the Phoenix Suns’ ascension in his four-year stay within the franchise. After inheriting a young, rebuilding team bannered by Devin Booker, the Suns rose to prominence and became a title contender under his watch, appearing in three-straight postseasons which included a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021.
The 51-year-old tactician will take the keys of the franchise’s top coaching from Dwane Casey, who moved into the team’s front office after a five-year span as their head coach. Under Casey, Detroit only appeared in a single postseason and registered a 121-263 record (.315 percent winning rate) throughout the last five seasons.
