The Phoenix Suns have parted ways with head coach Monty Williams, who led the team to the 2021 NBA Finals after the team suffered a 25-point loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The 51-year-old’s dismissal came late Saturday and comes just two days after Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and co. surrendered at home to Denver, led by two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.
“We are filled with gratitude for all that Monty has contributed to the Suns and the Valley community,” Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement announcing Williams’ departure.
Perhaps the embarrassment with Williams’ team exiting the playoffs led to some uncomfortable questions that the Suns front office may have felt pressured to answer immediately after the team’s season ended.
Williams’ four-year tenure at Phoenix ends with a record 194-115 (63 percent). Led by last season’s Coach of the Year winner, the Suns came close to winning their first-ever NBA championship in 2021 but ultimately lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks, who also fired head coach Mike Budenholzer this month.
Monty Williams, who led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, is no longer the head coach at Phoenix
The 51-year-old’s release came Saturday, two days after Denver eliminated the Suns
According to ESPN, there is no clear front-runner to replace Williams.
The report added that his contract has three years and more than $20 million remaining and is widely believed to become a top candidate for other teams in the managerial market, including the Toronto Raptors.
New Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who was involved in an on-court altercation with Jokic this postseason, has high expectations in Phoenix with a goal of finally bringing an NBA title to the Sun Valley. The Suns have never won basketball’s top prize since the club’s inception in 1968.
Additionally, the team’s early post-season exit comes nearly three months after completing a blockbuster Kevin Durant transfer at the league’s trade deadline in February.
However, Durant ended up in the Southwest with an ankle injury and missed all but eight games before the start of the playoffs.
The 34-year-old, who is often criticized for his lack of leadership, averaged 29 points, 5.5 assists and 8.7 rebounds in 11 games in this year’s playoffs. He was predictably one of the team’s top two scorers, with Devin Booker leading in both goals and assists.
The Suns guard averaged 33.7 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds against both the LA Clippers (the Suns won in six games) and Denver. He was expected to bring a title to a franchise hungry for success along with Durant, former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and veteran point guard Chris Paul.
It just didn’t work, at least not this year. Paul was injured in the playoffs and continued his unlucky streak on the health front into the postseason, Ayton sat out in the finals, and Booker and Durant just looked exhausted by the end.
Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Devin Booker should win it all this year
Suns owner Mat Ishbia saw enough to justify Williams’ dismissal after his team embarrassingly lost (25 points), almost three months after a blockbuster trade for Durant
“None of the days feel good,” Williams said after the Suns’ Game 6 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday when he was asked to balance last season’s 30-point debacle with this year’s 25-point season-ending loss to compare.
“I take it personally as our team is not yet ready to play in the biggest game of the year,” he added. “It’s something I’m proud of, and it just didn’t happen.” […] That’s something I have to look at carefully, everything I do.”
Ishbia also apparently took a close look and decided to make the change.
One can only guess what further changes are to come. The squad will certainly change, as will the system with a new coach.
The Suns are now another high profile coaching job alongside Milwaukee and Toronto. The Raptors fired Nick Nurse in early May, four seasons after winning the franchise’s first NBA title in 2019.