Notre Dame alumnus gets biggest coaching deal in NBA history
After being unceremoniously let go as Phoenix Suns coach, it seemed like only a matter of time before Monty Williams landed on his feet. He’s landed and then some. Sources have informed Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Notre Dame alumnus is agreeing to a six-year, $78 million contract to coach the Detroit Pistons. It’s the largest deal ever for an NBA coach.
During this year’s playoffs, Williams coached a team with two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and Chris Paul as well as one of the NBA’s best young stars in Deandre Ayton. Now, he’ll head to the Motor City to lead a team with nowhere to go but up. The Pistons finished with the NBA’s worst record in 2022-23 but didn’t even receive a top-four pick in the draft lottery.
While Williams has his work cut out for him, he does have a few building blocks. Among them are 2021 top overall pick Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, son of Irish women’s coach Niele Ivey. Here’s hoping he gets the Pistons back to respectability before too long. The pressure certainly is on with all the money he’s about to make.
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