Suns Stars Knew Monty Williams Was Being Fired
The Phoenix Suns are now undergoing the process of finding a new head coach, as the organization made the decision to fire Monty Williams just days following his squad's exit out of the NBA playoffs.
It was a decision that shocked people around the NBA, as Williams was at the helm of Phoenix's turnaround from one of the worst teams in the league to a championship contender.
The move has received plenty of speculation as to who exactly pulled the trigger to fire Williams. New owner Mat Ishbia reportedly made the call, though it was general manager James Jones who put out the official statement which took responsibility for the move.
“Monty has been foundational to our success over the past four seasons,” said Jones. “We are filled with gratitude for everything Monty has contributed to the Suns and to the Valley community. While it was difficult for me to make this decision, I look forward to continuing the work to build a championship team.”
NBA insider Shams Charania says not only did Ishbia make the call, but top players in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker knew about the move, too.
“I’m told unequivocally this was an organizational decision from owner Mat Ishbia,” Charania told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta. “I do believe the top [players], Durant, Booker - these are all guys that were all involved during the process. That's the business of basketball now. You have new ownership … the focus now is trying to win a championship."
That may give a bit of sense as to why Booker did not speak with reporters following the Game 6 loss to Denver, nor did he appear at exit interviews the following day.
“That is my belief, that he was in the loop on it,” said Charania. "I do think there's got to be a level of frustration. That's not the way Devin Booker wanted to go out in this series, especially that last game at home in blowout fashion for the second straight year … Very uncharacteristic of him not to speak."
