Pistons reportedly make Monty Williams the NBA's highest-paid coach

That's the largest coaching deal in NBA history – and it could become even more lucrative in the future. Detroit has team options on Williams for the seventh and eighth seasons of the deal and incentives could push the contract's total worth as high as $100 million.

Two weeks ago, Williams told the Pistons and other teams that he was leaning toward taking a year off from the court, rather than take a new head-coaching job. But after interviewing "nearly a dozen" coaches, Pistons owner Tom Gores and general manager Troy Weaver decided to loop back around to Williams, who Weaver worked with in Oklahoma City. They flew the former Suns coach to Gores' Los Angeles home on a private plane and then made a massive long-term offer to land their preferred coach.

Williams has now passed his old coach, Gregg Popovich, for the NBA's highest annual coaching salary. It's a lot, but Detroit was not only bidding against other teams for Williams. They also had to compete with the $21 million the Suns owe to Williams over the next three years, creating powerful leverage for the coach.

Williams has a reputation of helping take young teams to the next level, like when he guided the New Orleans Pelicans to the playoffs with 21-year-old Anthony Davis and 24-year-old Jrue Holiday. He worked similar magic in Phoenix, taking a young team with Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges - all 24 and under - to the NBA Finals in 2021.

When Phoenix won 64 games in 2021-22, Williams was named Coach of the Year. But new Suns owner Mat Ishbia (who bought the team this year) fired Williams after the shorthanded Suns lost in the second round. Ironically, Ishbia's business is located just down the road from the Pistons, in Pontiac, Michigan.

Phoenix hadn't made the playoffs for 10 years before Williams arrived. He's entering into a similar situation in Detroit, which has made the playoffs only twice in the last 14 years – and hasn't won a playoff game since 2008. The other similarity? Young talent.

Detroit has a group of exciting young players, including Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft who missed nearly all of last year. They have two members of this year's All-Rookie second team in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, plus the No. 2 and No. 7 picks in the 2020 draft, James Wiseman and Killian Hayes (respectively). Detroit also rosters promising center Isaiah Stewart, a three-year veteran who only turned 22 last week.

The Pistons are poised to add more talent with the No. 5 pick in this year's draft and the team boasts roughly $30 million in salary cap space. But their best investment might be locking up Williams - arguably the best coach available - for a long time. The salary cap doesn't apply to coaches.