Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons reportedly have interest in wings Jerami Grant and Cam Johnson ahead of free agency this offseason.

Appearing on the HoopsHype Podcast, James Edwards of The Athletic said Grant is arguably the biggest name the Pistons are pursuing, and they "went into the offseason with the anticipation of trying to get him."

Edwards added that he believes Detroit "at least throws an offer sheet" at Johnson as well, although the Brooklyn Nets could match it since he is a restricted free agent.

If the Pistons sign Grant, it would be a quick reunion, as Detroit traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the 2022-23 season.

After stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, Grant signed a three-year contract with the Pistons and enjoyed the two best seasons of his career to that point.

In 2020-21, Grant averaged a career-high 22.3 points and 2.8 assists per game to go along with 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 made three-pointers and 1.1 blocks. He followed that up in 2021-22 with averages of 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 made three-pointers and 1.0 blocks per game.

The Blazers then sent multiple draft picks to Detroit in exchange for Grant in the hope of making him a second star alongside guard Damian Lillard after trading CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans a few months before.

Although the Blazers missed the playoffs again, Grant had another solid season with averages of 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 made three-pointers.

Johnson spent parts of his first four NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns before getting traded to Brooklyn this season along with Mikal Bridges and draft picks for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.

The 2019 No. 11 overall draft pick out of North Carolina was a useful player for Phoenix over his first few seasons, especially as a shooter, but he truly blossomed this season.

In 42 games split between the Suns and Nets, Johnson averaged career highs across the board with 15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 made three-pointers, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Johnson also shot a career-best 47.0 percent from the field and shot 40.4 percent from downtown as well.

Edwards noted that Grant and Johnson are two of the top three-and-D players available, and they both already have strong ties to the Pistons.

In addition to having already played two seasons for the Pistons, Grant reportedly loves the city of Detroit and has a "great relationship" with general manager Troy Weaver.

Meanwhile, Johnson played under Monty Williams in Phoenix, and Williams is the Pistons' new head coach following his Suns ouster.

Detroit already has a talented, young core highlighted by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, plus it owns the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

The Pistons could be a team on the rise in the coming years. Adding a free agent the caliber of Grant or Johnson would likely accelerate the rebuilding process even more.

Monty Williams "didn't want" the Detroit Pistons job before ultimately agreeing to a record-setting coaching contract, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst reported Saturday on his Hoop Collective podcast (44:02 mark) there was a belief around the NBA that Williams would spend a year away from coaching after he was fired by the Phoenix Suns. Instead, Detroit offered him so much money he couldn't turn down the deal.

"I mean, the Suns were planning on paying him next year," Windhorst said. "All of these other teams knew that Monty was going to take care of his family and be with his family and take the year off."

"And it got to be so much money that the 'taking care of your family' inversed because it was like, 'Well, wait a minute, I want to do what's best for my family here but maybe what's best for my family is taking this freaking amazing offer.'"

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the 51-year-old will collect $78.5 million over six seasons. Per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the total value can climb to more than $100 million if certain incentives and options are triggered.

The structure of the contract reflects which party held all of the leverage.

Williams is a former Coach of the Year with a .522 career winning percentage. The Pistons have posted a losing record for each of the past four years, none of which saw them win more than 23 games.

And while a young core that includes Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren creates some intrigue, this isn't a franchise on the cusp of a major breakthrough.

If Detroit wanted to bring in an experienced head coach to build a winning culture, it needed to pay a premium. In Williams' case, he was not only one of the strongest candidates on the market but also had the luxury of getting paid while he was unemployed.

Windhorst's report certainly doesn't reflect well on the general perception of the Pistons, but they may not care that much since they managed to land the coach they clearly coveted.

Getting fired by the Phoenix Suns might have been a blessing in disguise for Monty Williams.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Williams has agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported the deal could be worth over $100 million if certain incentives are met, and Detroit has the opportunity to extend it beyond the initial six-year term.

Based on data published in December 2022 by Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, Williams will become the highest-paid coach in the NBA, narrowly moving ahead of the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich.

Highest-Paid NBA Head Coaches

1. Monty Williams, Detroit: $13.1 million 
2. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs: $13 million 
3. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors: $9.5 million 
4. Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat: $8.5 million

Only four coaches currently employed in the United States will earn more than Williams.

The New England Patriots' Bill Belichick ($20 million), Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll ($15 million) and Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay ($14 million) led the way on Badenhausen's list. NBC Sports' Peter King also reported Sean Payton is collecting "in the neighborhood of $18 million" annually from the Denver Broncos after taking over there this offseason.

In college football, Alabama's Nick Saban, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Georgia's Kirby Smart and USC's Lincoln Riley all make $11-plus million. None touches what Williams will make from the Pistons, though.

The same goes for the college basketball coaching ranks, where the $8.5 million salary for Kentucky's John Calipari looks paltry by comparison.

In the NBA, teams in non-marquee markets often have to pay a premium in order to get big stars through free agency or a trade. That certainly seems to have been the case with Williams.

The Pistons have been to the playoffs twice since 2009 and failed get out of the first round each time. Over the last four years, they have won 80 combined games. Among the four coaching jobs that were available in May, ESPN's Kevin Pelton ranked Detroit fourth.

The guard tandem of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey is promising, while Jalen Duren was an All-Rookie honoree. The franchise is showing some promise.

Still, Williams had plenty of leverage at the negotiating table since he was the 2021-22 Coach of the Year and had an NBA Finals appearance with the Phoenix Suns on his résumé.

Regardless of how well he does in the Motor City, the 51-year-old's contract ensures his time there will be worth it.

The Detroit Pistons have found their man, hiring Monty Williams as their next head coach on Wednesday, per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

Williams reportedly received a six-year contract worth $78.5 million, making him the highest-paid head coach in NBA history, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He will replace Dwane Casey, who stepped down after five seasons at the end of the 2022-23 campaign to take a front-office position.

According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the contract could reach $100 million with incentives. It also includes additional team options after the six-year deal.

Williams spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, building the team to the winningest franchise in the league over the past three years. He led the team to an NBA Finals appearance in 2021, and he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2022.

The 51-year-old is taking over one of the most daunting rebuilding projects in the league, as the Pistons finished last in the Central Division for the third consecutive season with a 17-65 record. The team drew the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA draft during the lottery on May 16.

Detroit not made the playoffs in any of the last four years and had an overall record of 121-263 in five years under Casey.

When the Pistons made it to the 2019 playoffs in Casey's first year as head coach, it was just their second postseason appearance since 2010. The team was swept by its opponent both times.

Despite the franchise's recent ineptitude, the Pistons have some promising young pieces who can inspire hope for the future. The 2022 No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey had a solid rookie season with averages of 16.3 points and 5.2 assists, while Killian Hayes, Jalen Duren and James Wiseman all showed flashes of potential throughout the year.

Still, Detroit's future will undoubtedly hinge on 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, who was limited to 12 games last season with a broken leg. When he was healthy, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists, improving on his averages from his rookie season.

Williams will surely be hoping the 21-year-old will be at full strength next season as the Pistons try to work their way back to playoff contention.

Detroit will have more to address this offseason to complete its rebuild. Hiring Williams is a step in the right direction.

The Detroit Pistons are reportedly expected to make a major play for Monty Williams to be their next head coach.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Pistons are "seriously pursuing" Williams and "preparing a significant offer" in hopes of hiring him.

Williams was fired from his position as head coach of the Phoenix Suns following their second-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier this month despite being named the NBA Coach of the Year last season.

In four seasons as head coach of the Suns after a previous five-year stint with the New Orleans Pelicans, Williams experienced a great deal of success.

Phoenix went 194-115 in the regular season during his tenure and reached the playoffs three times. That included a trip to the NBA Finals in 2021, which saw the Suns fall to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Suns posted an NBA-best 64-18 record the following season, only to fall in the second round of the playoffs. Their record dipped to 45-37 this season, but expectations remained high thanks to the trade-deadline acquisition of Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.

Phoenix could not get it done despite a core of Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, and Williams was ultimately the scapegoat for the team's playoff shortcomings.

After Williams was fired and the Philadelphia 76ers fired head coach Doc Rivers, Williams was reportedly a candidate in Philly's head coaching search, but the Sixers reportedly went with former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse instead.

That leaves Williams with limited options in terms of going somewhere that gives him a legitimate chance to vie for a championship in 2023-24.

The Pistons have a long way to go when it comes to contending, as they have missed the playoffs in four consecutive seasons and went just 17-65 this season, which was their worst mark since 1979-80.

Detroit hoped to parlay that poor season into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, but the San Antonio Spurs won the draft lottery and the chance to select French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama.

The Pistons will pick No. 5 overall, and while they won't get Wembanyama, they should still land a great, young building block, which could appeal to Williams.

Also potentially appealing to Williams is the presence of 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, 2022 No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey and 2022 No. 13 overall pick Jalen Duren on the roster.

Cunningham missed all but 12 games this season due to injury, and it is fair to say Detroit would have been much better than a 17-win team with him healthy.

Williams would have to deal with some growing pains and do plenty of developing in Detroit, but the potential for greatness is there with a talented, young core.

His decision on whether to take the job may come down to whether he wants to help build the Pistons from the ground up, or if he would rather take a job with a more established team when an opportunity opens up.

Former New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has reportedly taken a "pass on what league sources have described to me as a big-money offer" from the Detroit Pistons, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

But he added that "it has also been suggested to me that the Pistons may not have abandoned all hope that Williams could reconsider."

Williams, 51, spent nine seasons in the NBA as a player, averaging 6.3 points per game, before transitioning into a role as a coach.

He's compiled a 367-336 record in nine seasons as a head coach, leading his team to the playoffs five times and the Suns to the NBA Finals in the 2020-21 campaign.

He was one of several high-profile head coaches to get fired this past season, joining Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer, Philadelphia's Doc Rivers and Toronto's Nick Nurse.

If Williams is out, however, former NBA player and UConn head coach Kevin Ollie has "by all accounts has been pushed for the post by Pistons general Troy Weaver," according to Stein.

Ollie, 50, has never coached in the NBA but spent six seasons with the Huskies, leading the team to a 127-79 record, two NCAA tournament appearances and a national championship in the 2013-14 season.

He's worked as a head coach in the Overtime Elite since 2021.

Stein added that former Milwaukee Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee is also "said to have support in other corners of the organization" for the head-coaching gig.

Lee, 38, has had stints as an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks (2014-15 to 2017-18) and Bucks (2018-19 to 2022-23).

As for the Pistons, the chance to work with an exciting young core led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and this year's No. 5 overall pick will be enticing for any coach who doesn't mind a developmental project.

The Pistons have the makings of a talented young group, though one that will need a few seasons to grow before it is ready to compete at a postseason level.

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.

Over a month after former Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey transitioned to the front office, owner Tom Gores is still looking to fill the role.

Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee, New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Jarron Collins and Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie met with the owner in Los Angeles last week, but it appeared none of them "left Gores with a standout impression," per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

Some sources are now questioning whether Detroit will reopen the search to more candidates, Fischer reports.

Casey transitioned after the Pistons ended their season with a loss to the Chicago Bulls on April 9, marking the team's fourth consecutive year without a trip to the postseason.

Two days after the Pistons' 17-65 season ended, general manager Troy Weaver told reporters what he would be looking for in the team's next head coach.

"I know what this team needs is simple—discipline, development and defense. That's going to be the call for the next coach," Weaver said, per the Detroit Free Press' Omari Sankofa II.

Casey added that the ideal coaching candidate would be able to develop the team's young talents.

"You look at a young man Troy brought in in James Wiseman. That kid is a piece of clay. I've said that and guys have heard me say that all the time," Casey said. "Cade Cunningham, there's development there and talent there. (Jaden) Ivey. You go right down the line and the pieces are there. Just need time."

The Athletic's James L. Edwards III reported April 21 that Lee, Collins and Ollie were the three finalists for the position.

Lee has served as an assistant to Mike Budenholzer for nine seasons, including five with the Atlanta Hawks and four with the Bucks. He has previously interviewed for head coaching jobs in New Orleans, Washington, Utah and Los Angeles.

Collins, who has worked as an assistant coach with the Pelicans since 2021, was on Steve Kerr's staff for three Golden State Warriors championships. Ollie served as head coach for University of Connecticut men's basketball for six seasons before joining Overtime Elite, a professional league for top high school players, in 2021.

Had Detroit won the draft lottery Tuesday, it might have attempted to hire Monty Williams, former Phoenix Suns coach, to help develop Victor Wembanyama, Fischer reported. Because the Pistons fell to No. 5, their plans for this critical offseason remain unclear.

The Detroit Pistons are still looking to fill their head coaching vacancy, but it sounds like a front-runner is emerging from the team's list of candidates.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, former Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie "is widely considered the favorite of Detroit general manager Troy Weaver among the three finalists" for the position.

Along with Ollie, New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee are finalists for the Pistons opening, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. NBA insider Marc Stein also noted that if Detroit landed the No. 1 pick in Tuesday's NBA draft lottery, the team would've made a run at former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams. Instead, the Pistons disappointingly earned the No. 5 pick.

Detroit is looking to replace Dwane Casey, who moved from coaching to a front-office role after the team went 17-65 and failed to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Prior to being hired by Overtime Elite in 2021, Ollie had coached the UConn men's basketball team from 2012 to 2018 after serving as an assistant under legendary head coach Jim Calhoun from 2010 to 2012. He led the Huskies to a national championship in 2014 after entering the men's NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed that year.

UConn fired Ollie after an investigation concluded that he allegedly committed NCAA rules violations. In January 2022, an arbitrator ruled that Ollie was "improperly fired," and he reached a $3.9 million settlement with the school for "claimed reputational damages and attorney's fees," per ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

While in charge of Overtime Elite, Ollie coached top prospects who chose to forgo playing in college in order to play professionally immediately after high school. The players are paid a minimum salary of $100,000, The Athletic's Kyle Tucker reported last year. This year's team included identical twins Ausar and Amen Thompson, either of whom could be selected by the Pistons with the No. 5 pick in the 2023 draft June 22.

Ollie stepped down from his position with Overtime Elite in March, but it sounds like he has a strong chance to continue his coaching career in Detroit next season.