Monty Williams was fired by the Phoenix Suns after their second-round exit in the NBA 2023 playoffs. The Suns were considered the best team in the league with the likes of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul on the roster along with a very capable supporting cast. Therefore losing in the second round was not acceptable to the front office and Monty Williams paid the price.
However, he is back in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons and his thoughts on handling some players are gradually coming out in the open.
Williams did his best to take the Suns to the Championships but he took them to the finals in 2021. While he always kept them competitive, he never achieved those heights ever again as they struggled to make it to the NBA Finals. There were other factors which diverted the team from their primary goal.
There is talk that Williams was not a fan of DeAndre Ayton and Jae Crowder and he did not like their attitude. NBA writer Joe Gambardo wrote the details of the entire matter on why things did not work out for Williams and the two players.
“The Jae Crowder situation was all on Monty. He told people he was too difficult to handle and coach. Monty didn’t want Jae. It wasn’t the Suns organization. He didn’t want Jae around,” Gambadoro wrote.
He shared how Monty Williams wanted Ayton traded to Indiana Pacers and bring Myles Turner from there, whom he feels would have been an upgrade over Ayton. “As far as Deandre Ayton, Monty didn’t want him either. He wanted them to trade him to Indiana for Myles Turner. He didn’t like coaching Ayton,” Gambadoro added sharing Monty Williams’ thoughts.
He further shared that Monty Williams was not present when the Suns decided to hand Ayton a max contract. Apparently, he did not even congratulate Ayton on his new contract extension. “When Ayton signed his maximum contract when the Suns matched his offer sheet, Monty wasn’t even there and didn’t show up when Ayton signed it at the arena or call him to say congratulations,” he concluded.
Crowder was traded in the deal that brought Kevin Durant to Phoenix. While the Suns have tried to trade away Ayton but have not found any success in doing so. The big man averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the Suns.
However, the Suns have made another big acquisition this time by roping in Bradley Beal in exchange for Chris Paul. CP3 has joined the Washington Wizards in this trade deal
