Detroit Pistons Fire Monty Williams, per Report

The Pistons tied an NBA record for most consecutive losses en route to posting the worst record in the league.
Mar 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center.
Mar 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
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The Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Monty Williams, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday. The move comes less than one year after Williams signed a record-setting six-year, $78.5 million deal. Wojnarowski reports the coach has over $65 million remaining on that deal.

The decision comes after a historically bad season for Williams in Detroit. The Pistons hired the former Phoenix Suns coach to help develop the variety of young talent on the roster, but mostly to start finally winning games after four straight seasons of living in the NBA draft lottery. Williams failed to accomplish either goal.

The Pistons finished the 2023-24 season with 14 wins, worst in the league. They also infamously went through one of the worst stretches of basketball in NBA history, setting a record for most consecutive losses in a single season with 28 between October 30 and December 28. They share the all-time consecutive losses record with the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 28 straight between the 2014-'15 and 2015-'16 seasons.

Williams is only the latest name to depart after the disastrous season. Earlier in the offseason the franchise hired Trajan Langdon as the new president of basketball operations and parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver shortly thereafter.

The Pistons hold the No. 5 pick in the 2024 NBA draft and are projected to be a major player in free agency with the second-most cap space available behind the Charlotte Hornets. Now they must find a new head coach as well.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.