May 14, (THEWILL) – Phoenix Suns coach, Monty Williams, has been fired by team Governor, Mat Ishbia, after four seasons with Phoenix.
Williams was considered to be on the hot seat after the Suns’ season ended embarrassingly for the second straight year. Phoenix trailed by 30 at half-time in a dreadful showing in its Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Williams was 194-115 in his four years as a head coach in Phoenix. He won NBA Coach of the Year for the 2022 season and led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams’ dismissal continues a negative trend for coaches with great regular-season records. Alongside Mike Budenholzer and Nick Nurse, Williams becomes the third person to win Coach of the Year since 2019 to lose their job this offseason.
With Williams’ departure, the roster the new coach inherits next season may look significantly different. Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton are far from guaranteed to return, and only Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have solidified spots in the rotation. Ishbia has been aggressive in the early going since purchasing the team, so it is not a surprise to see him go in another direction and find a coach he feels can better lead the team.
There is “no clear front-runner” to fill the vacancy at the Suns from different reports on the firing. However, the case may be different for Williams, who could be a candidate to become head coach of the Toronto Raptors sooner than later.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
