The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the NBA postseason due to a 125-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. It was the second consecutive postseason in which the team was eliminated in an embarrassing blowout.
On Saturday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Suns had fired coach Monty Williams. Phoenix now joins a crowded array of teams needing to hire its next head coach, including a job market that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
During his four seasons with the Suns, Williams compiled a 194-115 record and won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award after Phoenix finished the 2021-22 regular season with 64 wins. The franchise made its first appearance in the NBA Finals in nearly 20 years under his guidance in 2021.
Williams knew of his potential termination after the Suns’ embarrassing playoff exit — acknowledging that it’s just something that comes with the “economy” of NBA coaching.
“You know what, it’s something that I could sit here and give you a normal, NBA speech, like, ‘I don’t worry about my job and all that stuff.’ It’s not something I worry about, but it is a part of the economy,” Williams said when asked about his job security during his media exit interview.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Monty Williams & Phoenix Suns Updates
Two recent firings in the NBA included not only being recipients of the NBA’s Coach of the Year award but also coaches that won a championship: Nick Nurse and Mike Budenholzer. Despite those achievements, the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks moved on.
“When you look at really good coaches who have lost their jobs shortly after winning a championship, that’s something that is just different about our business,” Williams said. “But I’ve always felt like, I have to do my job, not worry about it. But you do scan the landscape and see what’s going on, and you know that it could be a part of anybody’s tenure.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Monty Williams & Phoenix Suns Updates
“So from my perspective, you do the best you can and if things don’t turn out the way you want them to, you can sleep and rest because you did the best you could,” Williams explained. “And that’s all you can do. But I’m not closed-minded to what I’ve seen around the league.”
The Suns have a tough offseason ahead as they seek to re-tool around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. After moving Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson in the midseason trade to acquire Durant, Phoenix was left with a further thinned-out supporting cast.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Monty Williams & Phoenix Suns Updates
It did not help the Suns’ efforts that Deandre Ayton’s disconnect with the organization continued to be a storyline, in addition to Chris Paul’s continued injury struggles. Both could find themselves being traded during the offseason as Phoenix operates under a shortened title-contention window.
Grant Afseth is an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network and a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI’s Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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