Pistons Rumors: Monty Williams Appears to Have Declined 'Big-Money Offer' for HC Job

The Detroit Pistons are in the market for a new head coach this summer after transitioning Dwane Casey to the front office following the 2022-23 campaign. It appears former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams was atop their wish list at one point this offseason.

Detroit made a "big-money offer" to Williams, but he appears to have declined, according to NBA insider Marc Stein:

"League sources say that the Pistons, even after they failed to win the Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes in the draft lottery, went through with their intent to make a big-money offer to Williams in hopes that the former Suns coach could be lured straight into a new job.

"It appears that plan, which we revealed in the enclosed story from inside the Drawing Room at the draft lottery in Chicago last week, was unsuccessful. Williams has three years remaining on his Suns deal valued in excess of $20 million."

The Pistons revealed in April that Casey was out as head coach, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported he would move into a front-office role with the franchise.

Wojnarowski added that former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn were among the expected candidates for the Pistons' job.

Udoka has since been hired as head coach of the Houston Rockets, and Lee, Griffin and Quinn have been linked to various vacancies around the NBA.

Casey had spent five seasons as head coach of the Pistons from 2018-23. He went 121-263 in that span and led the team to only one postseason appearance, which came during the 2018-19 campaign. The Bucks swept the Pistons in the first round that year.

Williams spent four seasons as head coach of the Suns from 2019-23, going 194-115 in that span. After reaching the 2021 NBA Finals, the team suffered back-to-back blowout losses in playoff elimination games in each of the last two seasons, which led to his firing.

With a starting lineup that included Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the Suns arguably should have made it further than a Western Conference Semifinals loss to the Denver Nuggets this year.

Whomever the Pistons hire as their next head coach will be tasked with molding the team into a perennial playoff contender, which it hasn't been since the early-2000s.

However, the future is looking up in Detroit with a roster that includes Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman. The Pistons also have the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Hiring the right coach to guide this young group of players will be the key to the team finding success in the near future and beyond.