After the Phoenix Suns were knocked out of the NBA playoffs by the eventual Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, the team promptly parted ways with head coach Monty Williams, which was a shocking decision, to say the least.
Fortunately for Williams, it didn’t take long before he found a new home in the league, with the Detroit Pistons aggressively pursuing him with a lucrative contract offer to make him the highest-paid coach in the NBA.
Williams will now make more per season than some of the top-tier coaches in the league, like Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, and Erik Spoelstra, who all have championship experience.
On Friday, the Suns found Williams’ successor, with the team agreeing to terms with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel on a five-year deal.
Vogel also has championship experience and will make less than half what Williams will be making in Detroit, which sparked this reaction by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
$6.2M annually for Frank Vogel compared to $13M annually for Monty Williams. Crazy https://t.co/4ZCay9JIdZ
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 2, 2023
The irony here is Williams will likely be given at least a few years to get the Pistons on track during their rebuild, while the pressure will be on immediately for Vogel.
The Suns seem to have done Williams a favor by letting him go, as he’ll make a lot more money with job security for years to come.
As for Vogel, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he’s looking for a new job again in a year or two if the Suns don’t live up to expectations, which will almost certainly be contending for a title every year.
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The Nuggets Made History By Being Prepared