Detroit Pistons fire Monty Williams with record $65 million left on deal as NBA fans call them ‘worst-run team in sport’

THE Detroit Pistons have sacked head coach Monty Williams.

The three-time NBA champions made headlines for all the wrong reasons on Wednesday — just a year after signing Williams to a historic six-year, $78.5 million deal.

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Williams, 52, leaves the organization with $65 million left on his contract, which the Pistons will pay him over the next half a decade, according to ESPN.

The decision to part ways with the 2022 NBA Head Coach of the Year is believed to have been made at the ownership level.

It came despite Williams holding regular meetings over the franchise's future with Detroit's new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon beforehand, per the report.

Langdon now needs to begin a coaching search with the 2024 NBA Draft just around the corner.

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The situation raised a lot of eyebrows on NBA Twitter.

"Yikes… Detroit really doesn’t know what they’re doing," one fan wrote on X.

"The worst organization in basketball," another added.

"Pistons might be the worst-run organization in all of sports," a third said.

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"Why do NBA teams fire coaches after a season?" one wrote.

Williams' exit is even more puzzling considering that the Pistons have just hired a new prominent assistant coach.

They recently poached a renowned shooting coach Fred Vinson from the New Orleans Pelicans.

Vinson used to work with both Langdon and Williams during his time in NOLA.

Williams took the Pistons job last year even though he had initially planned to take a season-long break due to his wife's cancer diagnosis.

But the then-general manager Troy Weaver eventually convinced the former Pelicans and Phoenix Suns head coach to come on board and oversee Detroit's rebuild.

2024 NBA Draft order - lottery picks

1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Washington Wizards
3. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Utah Jazz
11. Chicago Bulls
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State)

Williams' Pistons went 14-68 in the 2023-24 NBA season, ending up with the worst record in the league.

During the campaign, they went on a 28-game losing streak, matching the all-time mark.

Still, Detroit won't select first during the upcoming 2024 draft.

The organization dropped to No. 5 during the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery.

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The Atlanta Hawks won the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a 3% chance of landing there.

The Draft takes place between June 26-27 at Barclays Center in New York City.