Adrian WojnarowskiSenior NBA insider3 minutes to read
The Nuggets defeat the Suns in Game 6 to reach the Conference Finals
Behind a strong performance from the starting lineup, the Nuggets defeated the Suns in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
On the heels of a blowout elimination loss in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Sources told ESPN that the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Monty Williams on Saturday night.
New Suns owner Matt Ichpeia has made the decision to fire Williams, who won the NBA Coach of the Year award and reached the NBA Finals in his four seasons with the team. Williams helped revive the franchise from one of the laughing stock of the league to the most profitable team in the NBA over the past three seasons.
Ishbia has taken full control of the franchise’s basketball operations, including negotiations over the February deal with Kevin Durant and the now-dismissed Williams. Sources said James Jones Suns called Williams on Saturday night with the news.
Sources said Ishpea never warmed to Williams as his coach and quickly decided after Thursday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals that he was going to fire him.
The Suns played without two starters – guard Chris Paul and center Deandre Ayton – in the 125-100 elimination loss. The Suns were also blown out in the last game of their season in 2022, with a 123-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals.
The sources said there was no clear front-runner to replace Williams.
Sources told ESPN that Williams had three years and a $20 million-plus on his contract. Sources said he is expected to become a top candidate in coaching searches elsewhere in the league, particularly the Toronto Raptors.
The Suns will join a coaching market that includes Toronto, Milwaukee and Detroit. Searches for the Raptors and Bucks are wide open, sources said, and Detroit has narrowed its search to three finalists: Kevin Ollie, Milwaukee assistant coach Charles Lee and New Orleans assistant Jaron Collins.
The Suns have two stars — Devin Booker and Kevin Durant — under contract, but they’re facing challenges with a huge payroll that could limit their ability to add quality depth under the rules in the new collective bargaining agreement. Ishbia traded four unprotected future first-round draft picks and swapped picks with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets in February, a move that limited her flexibility in building the team.
Williams was 194-115 (0.628) in the regular season and 27-19 in the playoffs for the Phoenix team. The Suns won a franchise record 64 games in 2022-2023, and reached the NBA Finals in 2021.
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