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.
NBA teams that should leap to hire Monty Williams after Suns firing
No. 2: Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons were the worst team in the NBA, record-wise, after finishing the season with a 17-65 record. The team does have bright young players like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Killian Hayes to build around, and they have one of the best odds to win the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft lottery, which can then be used to select Victor Wembanyama.
And Williams does have a connection in the Pistons organization, and that's general manager Troy Weaver.
Before becoming the head coach of the Suns back in 2019, he spent the 2015-16 season as an associate head coach on the Oklahoma City Thunder under Billy Donovan. Weaver, meanwhile, was the team's assistant general manager under Sam Presti.
Regardless of the connection between Williams and Weaver, the Pistons need a head coach that can help turn the team around. He did so with the Suns, it's possible he could do it with the Pistons.
NBA teams that should leap to hire Monty Williams after Suns firing
No. 1: Los Angeles Clippers
Yes, the Los Angeles Clippers still have Tyronn Lue under contract, but that might not mean he'll be their head coach entering next season.
The Jake Fischer report reference on the first slide about Williams being linked to the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching vacancy? Well, Lue was another name that was listed as a potential candidate in that report. But, that may not be the only opening that Lue is in contention for.
How about Williams' job? According to NBA correspondent Marc Stein, the Suns are expected to "explore the feasibility of trying to lure away" Lue from the Clippers. That's right, the Suns are looking at Lue as a potential candidate to replace Williams.
Lue does have experience coaching some superstars on his team. After all, he did win the NBA championship back in 2016 as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with superstars like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. So, it makes sense that the Suns would want to consider hiring Lue to coach the likes of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
While he was tasked with leading the Clippers to their first NBA championship with stars like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both have dealt with a variety of injuries since arriving in 2019.
So, if Lue does end up getting hired as the Suns head coach, what about the Clippers bringing in Williams as his replacement? Yes, the results weren't there in the past two seasons, but Williams does have the experience a team like the Clippers needs at the head coaching position.