Report: One just-dismissed NBA coach turned down lucrative offer

Monty Williams apparently turned down a bag from a team on the other side of the country.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote this week on Substack that former Phoenix Suns head coach Williams received a “big money offer” from the Detroit Pistons to take their sideline lead. The offer apparently came after the Pistons lost in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier this spring. Stein adds though that Detroit's attempt to lure Williams was  ultimately “unsuccessful.”

The Pistons had the worst record in the NBA this season (17-65), but in the lotter only managed to land the No. 5 overall pick in June’s draft. The team does already have some exciting young pieces, such as Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman and Jalen Duren. But without the opportunity to add a Victor Wembanyama – or even a Scoot Henderson or a Brandon Miller, for that matter – to the mix, it might be years before Detroit resembles anything remotely close to a playoff contender.

Admittedly, the Suns were only a 19-win team in 2019, when Williams took over at the helm, and he helped transform them into a championship-caliber team within a couple years. But it sounds like he does not want to start from scratch with another rebuild.

It seems more likely that Williams, if he decides to coach next season, would land with a more proven squad, like this one.