Mat Ishbia, the Suns’ new owner, decided to fire Williams immediately following Thursday night’s Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and had general manager James Jones phone him on Saturday night to give the news.
Phoenix Suns dismiss head coach Monty Williams after four years in the position, marking the end to Mat Ishbia’s championship run
Mat Ishbia purchased the Phoenix Suns in February, less than 100 days ago.
His first significant move was engineering a deal for Kevin Durant, a game-changing decision aimed to position the Suns for their first NBA championship.
Ishbia made a second huge move on Saturday, less than 48 hours after Phoenix was humiliatingly eliminated from the Western Conference semifinals.
He fired coach Monty Williams after consulting with general manager James Jones about the organization’s strategy.
Williams had accepted responsibility for the Suns’ 125-100 elimination loss to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
He stated he knew the financial side of NBA coaching and the difficulties that come with it a day later at the Phoenix practice facility. All he had control over was doing his best.
Ishbia made his income in the mortgage lending business, which he describes as “being in the weeds.”
While it wasn’t clear how that would transfer into NBA ownership at first, it is now. Ishbia is heavily involved in basketball operations.
Williams won the NBA Coach of the Year title and advanced to the NBA Finals while guiding the organization from one of the league’s laughingstocks to the league’s winningest team during the past three seasons.
The heat on Williams has been mounting since Ishbia orchestrated a trade deadline deal for Kevin Durant in February, just after Ishbia’s ownership group was approved by the league’s Board of Governors.
Ishbia had never warmed to Williams as his coach and planned to fire him soon following Thursday night’s season-ending loss, according to sources.
Jones, a longtime supporter and ally of Williams, was reported in the team’s Saturday night news release as stating, “It was difficult for me to make this decision.”
In the 125-100 elimination defeat, the Suns were missing two starters: guard Chris Paul and center Deandre Ayton.
The Suns were likewise blown out in the final game of their season in 2022, falling to the Dallas Mavericks 123-90 in Game 7 of the conference playoffs.
Williams accepted responsibility for the team’s loss to Denver on Thursday.
“I take that personally, not having our team ready to play in the biggest game of the year,” Williams explained.
“That’s something that I pride myself on and it just didn’t happen. … That’s something I have to take a deep look at, everything I’m doing.”
According to insiders, there is no clear frontrunner to succeed Williams.
Williams’ contract has three years and more than $20 million remaining.
According to reports, he is believed to be a significant candidate in coaching vacancies elsewhere in the league, particularly with the Toronto Raptors.
The Suns will join the Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons on the coaching market.
The searches for the Raptors and Bucks are wide open, while insiders say Detroit has limited its search to three finalists: Kevin Ollie, Milwaukee associate head coach Charles Lee, and New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins.
The Suns have two players under contract in Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, but they face a hefty salary that could limit their ability to recruit excellent depth under the new collective bargaining agreement rules.
In February, Ishbia surrendered four future unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap to the Brooklyn Nets, along with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, limiting Phoenix’s flexibility in team building.
Williams led Phoenix to a 194-115 (.628) regular-season record and a 27-19 postseason record. In 2021-22, the Suns set a franchise record by winning 64 games and reaching the NBA Finals.
