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Good Morning Dub Nation,
As tipoff for Game 1 of the NBA Finals gets set for later tonight, the Golden State Warriors and the other 27 teams in the league move forward with their offseason plans. This includes the Detroit Pistons who, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, agreed to hire former Phoenix Suns head coach and 2022 Coach of the Year, Monty Williams. The two sides agreed to a record-breaking six-year, $78.5 million deal on Wednesday making Williams the highest paid head coach in NBA history.
Monty Williams has agreed to a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN. It’s the largest coaching deal in NBA history.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2023
After being relieved from his duties with the Suns last month, Williams now gets the opportunity to lead a Pistons team featuring several top prospects from previous NBA Drafts. This includes former Warrior and 2020 second-overall pick James Wiseman, 2021 first-overall pick Cade Cunningham, and 2022 fifth-overall pick Jaden Ivey.
From a Warriors’ perspective, the massive deal is particularly interesting due to the expiring contract of Dubs’ head coach Steve Kerr. He will be entering the final year of his contract this upcoming season, and given his decorated 10-year resume with the team — four NBA titles, six NBA Finals appearances, and 2016 Coach of the Year — Kerr is expected to have earned himself a very hefty payday.
Fortunately for Warriors’ fans, owner Joe Lacob has shown a willingness to pay the premium to have the best people lead his organization, especially since head coaching salaries do not count against the dreaded salary cap. Having said that, general manager Bob Myers’ departure as well as several other uncertainties surrounding the team’s roster makes the process a bit more complicated, so it should be interesting to see how the Warriors will approach a potential extension for their longtime head coach this offseason.
Here are the rest of today’s stories:
In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:
- How did the Warriors do against the Nuggets and Heat this year?
- I Knew This Warriors Season Was In Trouble When...: Ep. 4
- I Knew This Warriors Season Was In Trouble When...: Ep. 3
- I Knew This Warriors Season Was In Trouble When...: Ep. 2
- Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala played in the Memorial Pro-Am Tournament Wednesday
Other Warriors News:
- Thompson: A toast to Bob Myers, who rose from fan to fixture in Warriors’ lore (The Athletic)
- Bob Myers leaves Warriors after 4 NBA titles — and it wasn’t because of money (The Athletic)
- Warriors’ Jordan Poole, Jordan Jimenez: Photography and friendship (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Bob Myers poured his heart into the Warriors. He just couldn’t do it anymore (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Could ESPN Be In Bob Myers’ Future? (Front Office Sports)
NBA News:
- Pistons to hire Monty Williams as coach, per sources: Why Detroit made an offer he couldn’t refuse (The Athletic)
- 2023 NBA Finals preview: Nuggets, Heat take unique paths to Finals stage (NBA)
- Heat: Need ‘all five guys’ to guard Nikola Jokic, slow Nuggets (ESPN)
- ‘All I want is championships’ - Jimmy Butler to Malika Andrews ahead of the 2023 NBA Finals (ESPN)
- G League Ignite lands top 2024 NBA Draft prospects Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland (Yahoo Sports)
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