Monty Williams contract guarantee: How much will Pistons pay fired head coach?

Kyle Irving

Monty Williams contract guarantee: How much will Pistons pay fired head coach? image

The Pistons fired Monty Williams just one season after making him the highest-paid head coach in NBA history.

Detroit signed Williams to a massive six-year, $78 million deal last summer. The deal came with hopes that the veteran leader could expedite its rebuild as he did with the Suns from 2019-23.

With young stars like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson, the Pistons had much higher aspirations than their result for the 2023-24 season. Detroit finished a league-worst 14-68, headlined by an NBA single-season record 28-game losing streak.

The decision to part ways with Williams was made at the ownership level, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Trajan Langdon, the Pistons' new president of basketball, reportedly delivered the news to Williams on Wednesday.

With the 2024 NBA Draft just one week away and free agency right around the corner, Detroit is electing to bring in a new voice to maximize the potential of its promising core.

How much will the Pistons owe Williams after cutting his contract short? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.

MORE: Why did the Pistons fire Monty Williams? Detroit dismisses coach after one year

Monty Williams contract guarantee: How much will Pistons pay fired head coach?

The Pistons will owe Williams $65 million after firing him one season into his six-year contract.

Williams' six-year, $78 million deal made him the highest-paid coach in NBA history at the time. The current holder of that title goes to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who signed a two-year, $35 million extension during the 2023-24 season.

Williams has now been fired twice in two years after being dismissed by the Suns after the 2022-23 season.

Williams reportedly intended to take a year off from coaching before the Pistons came knocking with the historic offer last offseason. He was said to have a "strong relationship" with former Detroit general manager Troy Weaver, who was also fired this offseason.

Now Williams will earn the bulk of his contract without working. The Pistons join the Lakers and Cavaliers as the three NBA teams searching for a new head coach.

Monty Williams head coaching record

Williams has 10 seasons of head coaching experience and seven years of assistant coaching experience in the NBA.

His first head coaching gig was with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2010-15. He spent four years at the helm of the Suns from 2019-23, taking Phoenix from the basement of the league to the NBA Finals in just two seasons.

After the Suns failed to reach the Conference Finals in the two ensuing years from coming up short in the NBA Finals, Williams was fired.

He spent one season in Detroit before being fired again.

You can find his head coaching record below.

YearTeamRecordResult
2010-11New Orleans Hornets46-36Lost in West First Round
2011-12New Orleans Hornets21-45Missed Playoffs
2012-13New Orleans Hornets27-55Missed Playoffs
2013-14New Orleans Pelicans34-48Missed Playoffs
2014-15New Orleans Pelicans45-37Lost in West First Round
2019-20Phoenix Suns34-39Missed Playoffs
2020-21Phoenix Suns51-21Lost in NBA Finals
2021-22Phoenix Suns64-18Lost in West Semifinals
2022-23Phoenix Suns45-37Lost in West Semifinals
2023-24Detroit Pistons14-68Missed Playoffs
Overall 381-404 

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.