Head coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns shockingly announced that they have fired head coach Monty Williams on Saturday. Here are three teams that should quickly hire Williams.
The NBA coaching carousel has been somewhat shocking. While there haven’t been too many openings since the end of the regular season, some big jobs opened up during the playoffs and play in tournaments. But with the Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets beginning on Tuesday, one of the teams that were eliminated this past week made a huge decision to move on from one of their key leaders on the team.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Suns dismissed head coach Monty Williams following their second-round elimination by the Nuggets.
Yes, Williams’ last two playoff runs didn’t end the way the team and fanbase had expected. But let’s not forget that Williams turned the franchise into a winner (194-115 regular season record, 27-19 record in playoffs) and coached the team to the NBA Finals in 2021. This is yet another coach to make it to the NBA Finals, whether winning the Larry O’Brien or not, that has been let go by their team recently. But for Williams, he shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding a new gig, even a high-profile one.
Here are three teams that need to hire Williams immediately.
NBA teams that should leap to hire Monty Williams after Suns firing
No. 3: Milwaukee Bucks
Let’s begin with one of the top positions available — head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks got the best of the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, as they overcame an 0-2 deficit to win in six games. Much like Phoenix, Milwaukee was unable to make it back to the Finals.
Last year, the Bucks were eliminated in seven games by the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This year, Milwaukee, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, was shockingly sent home in five games by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat, who became the first play-in tournament team to win a playoff series.
As a result of this stunning elimination, the Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, despite winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2021. But, given how disastrous the series went, especially Game 5, the Bucks decided it was time to move on and head in a different direction.
There is some buzz regarding Williams, as Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that Williams’ name has been floated as a potential candidate for the Bucks’ head coaching vacancy.
Getting to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo is a huge plus when considering the Bucks’ head coaching position. We shall see if the Bucks do go after Williams heavily this offseason.