Monty Williams Will Get Paid $65 Million To Not Coach Detroit Pistons

Monty Williams is living out the true American Dream.

While it’s certainly not funny to joke around about someone losing their job in the national spotlight, Williams will be quite alright. 

On Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons fired Williams after just one season. They still owe him $65 million dollars over the next five years. In 2023, the Phoenix Suns fired Williams and agreed to a $20 million dollar buyout.

In total, Williams is earning $85 million dollars to sit at home and not coach. That's the best way to get fired.

You have to understand how coaches are wired, though. These guys are born to be around the game. It’s probably close to impossible for Williams to sit at home, look at his bank app, and just laugh at the online memes about him securing another payday. 

He’s been around the game his entire life. He was an All-American at Notre Dame before being selected by the New York Knicks and spending nine seasons playing in the NBA.

When chronic knee pain forced Williams into retirement in 2003, he only took a few years off. In 2005, he joined the San Antonio Spurs as a coaching intern and won an NBA Championship.

After winning that title with the Spurs, Williams has been hooked on coaching. He joined Nate McMillan’s staff as an assistant coach in 2006 and spent time with the New Orleans Hornets, Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers before being named the head coach of the Suns in 2019.

Basketball, and now coaching the game of basketball, is embedded in Williams’ DNA. Winning just 14 games with the Pistons probably did not feel great. Being dismissed after just one season probably felt even worse.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the decision to dismiss Williams came from the ownership level.

The Pistons waited over two months to fire Williams. Their last game was a loss to the Spurs on April 14. Billionaire owner Tom Gores admitted another coaching mistake, sending Williams his walking papers while still owing him $65 million. This sends a message to the rest of the NBA that the Pistons are serious about getting this next hire right.

Trajan Langdon, who is the President of Basketball Operations for the Pistons, will have his hands full trying to find a needle in the haystack to replace Williams.

The Suns hired Mike Budenholzer. The Los Angeles Lakers are zeroing in on JJ Redick. The Cleveland Cavaliers are circling around James Borrego, but Detroit’s opening can complicate things.

The Pistons need to get to work quickly to replace the coach they’ll still be compensating for years to come.