Coach Monty Williams has agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the largest coaching deal in NBA history.
Williams was fired by the Phoenix Suns earlier in May after four seasons as their head coach. The move came after the Suns were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
In Detroit, Williams will replace Dwane Casey, who stepped down as the Pistons’ head coach in April to move into a front-office role.
Casey had coached Detroit since 2018, but in five seasons the team went 121-263 (.315). Detroit made the playoffs once during his tenure, in 2018-19, but the team was swept in the first round.
The Pistons have gone seven straight seasons without finishing over .500. Their last winning season was in 2015-16.
Williams, who won NBA Coach of the Year in May 2021, was 194-115 (.628) in the regular season and 27-19 in the playoffs for Phoenix. The Suns won a franchise record 64 games in 2021-22 and reached the NBA Finals in 2021.