Detroit — The Pistons began their coaching search at a time when there weren’t many experienced coaches out on the open market. The process was gradual and diligent by design, especially since early playoff exits and a failure to meet expectations usually result in a re-shuffling of the coaching carousel.
As more teams were bounced out of the postseason, Detroit’s candidate pool began to expand beyond its initial set of potential first-time NBA coaches, in New Orleans assistant Jarron Collins, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie.
More-experienced coaches were suddenly without jobs: Mike Budenholzer. Nick Nurse. Doc Rivers. Monty Williams.
Detroit’s relentless pursuit of Williams was just a thought among the Pistons’ brass until he was dismissed by the Phoenix Suns after his second consecutive elimination from the second round of the playoffs, two years after leading the franchise to its first Finals appearance in nearly three decades.
Williams, who has built a reputation for his ability to develop young players and transform lottery teams into playoff contenders, is the archetype of what Pistons owner Tom Gores, general manager Troy Weaver and the rest of the front office envisioned for their next head coach. A league source recounted to The Detroit News details of how the Pistons pursued Williams to become their head coach.
The Pistons extended an overture to Williams two weeks ago via his agent. Williams also had a personal connection with Weaver, who was an assistant GM in Oklahoma City while Williams was the associate head coach during the 2015-16 season.
And while Williams is officially on his way to Detroit as the next head coach of the Pistons — a storied franchise longing for a return to its winning culture — after signing his record-breaking contract on Thursday, the idea was just a dream until Gores laid out the red carpet for his new lead voice.
Williams, who had three years and $21 million left on his contract at the time of his firing, was hesitant about returning to the sidelines next season, but the Pistons were one of two teams he’d be willing to coach if he did return.
The initial conversation didn’t include an offer, but to respect Williams’ wishes, members of the Pistons’ front office revisited interviews with their three finalists, which included secondary talks with Lee and Ollie. However, the risk of hiring a first-time NBA coach to lead a relatively young roster headlined by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren was one Gores and company weren’t willing to take at such a crucial moment in the team’s development.
As the process entered a stall, Gores, who is known for disrupting deals that lack direction by diverting from the original plan, posed an idea to revisit the previous conversation with Williams with a more concrete offer that would go beyond the extra mile. It’s similar to how he pursued former Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who intended to take a year off after coaching in Toronto until Gores’ aggressive recruitment brought him to Detroit.
On Sunday, Gores sent a private plane to Phoenix to pick Williams up and by the evening, the two were discussing the coaching vacancy, in his living room in Los Angeles. The follow-up conversation resulted in the two parties building a connection, and Williams eventually agreed to sign a six-year contract worth $78.5 million, with team options and incentives that could reach up to $100 million. Williams will be tied to the roster through the 2028-29 season.
The right candidate
The new deal is the richest for a coach in NBA history, but Gores and the Pistons emphasized not just the dollars and years in the contract. They wanted to make sure Williams and his family were comfortable, so they could make the move as seamlessly as possible.
So what made Williams the right person for the job?
Williams is a veteran head coach who has nine years of experience under his belt with the New Orleans Pelicans and Suns. He was selected the 2022 Coach of the Year for leading Phoenix to a franchise-high 64-18 record, which also was the best mark in the league last season. He also has an NBA Finals appearance under his belt.
Weaver identified development, discipline and defense as three core areas that he wanted in his next head coach, and Williams excels in all three areas. He exponentially increased the Suns’ win total from 19 the season before his hiring in three consecutive seasons, with 34 wins in 2019-20, 51 the following year, and 64 in 2021-22.
The Suns finished in the top 10 in the league in defensive rating in three of his four seasons at the helm. Lastly, he holds his players accountable, whether they are the stars of the team or the last player on the bench.
The Pistons are looking to make a leap in their fourth year of the rebuild under Weaver, after struggling through injuries and inexperience this season that secured the worst record in the NBA, a similar position to Phoenix before Williams’ arrival.
The reaction to Williams’ hiring was received positively throughout the league. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith lauded the Pistons’ investment in making Williams the highest-paid coach because of his character. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, a Lansing native, gave Gores and Weaver “a big thumbs up” for the move.
With a formal announcement and introduction press conference expected in the coming days, the Pistons may have lost the NBA Draft Lottery, but they took control of their own luck and hit the jackpot in this offseason’s coaching carousel.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2