It does come as an unfortunate reminder of how cutthroat business in the league can be, as the decision made NBA history. The Suns also severely underwhelmed, as their trade for Kevin Durant resulted in nothing more than what they had achieved without the 13-time All-Star. Phoenix underwent an ownership change during the 2022-23 NBA season, which is never a good sign for coaches who already have expectations to meet. The end of Williams’ tenure leading the Suns isn’t totally shocking.
bfMd6F1RJc- Adrian Wojnarowski May 14, 2023
MONTY WILLIAMS SERIES
Suns lost 6-game series to Nuggets in Western Semifinals. Williams was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year in four seasons with Suns - including a trip to 2021 NBA Finals.
MONTY WILLIAMS FREE
Sox Transactions, Trades, and Free AgentsīREAKING: The Phoenix Suns dismissed coach Monty Williams, sources tell ESPN.
MONTY WILLIAMS PLUS
In his nine seasons overall, he's 367-336 in the regular season, plus 29-27 in the playoffs.Suns Make NBA History By Firing Head Coach Monty Williams Paul got traded to the Suns in November 2020, the franchise's first finals trip since 1993 was how that season ended, and last season's 64-18 mark was the best in Suns history. Williams got elected as coach of the bubble - "coach of the seeding games" was the official NBA award - and was a four-time Coach of the Month in his tenure with the Suns as well. Phoenix became one of the feel-good stories of the bubble, going 8-0 to narrowly miss out on what would have been a most improbable playoff appearance. He was 194-115 with the Suns - an NBA-best 168-76 since the start of the restart bubble near Orlando to end the 2020 season. This was Williams's ninth season as a head coach, after a five-season run with New Orleans from 2010 through 2015. Now, he's out, and the Suns will start anew. He was the coach of the year that season as chosen by his peers in the National Basketball Coaches Association.Ī year later, Williams was the NBA's winner - and the NBCA one yet again. Williams was second in the official NBA coach of the year balloting in 2021, behind New York's Tom Thibodeau. And then they went 2-4 against the Nuggets, all four losses by double figures. The Suns were 12-1 in Durant's first 13 appearances, five of those in the playoffs. They had to wait about a month after acquiring him for a January knee injury to heal, and then as he warmed up for what was supposed to be his home opener with the Suns on March 8 he slipped on the court during warm-ups, hurt an ankle and missed three more weeks. They used 26 starting lineup combinations, and had Durant for only eight regular-season games after the trade. They were only 29-30 the rest of the way. The Suns started 16-7 this season, looking every bit like a contender again.
The Suns now become yet another high-profile coaching opening, after Toronto fired Nick Nurse and Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer.
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