Monty Williams had to be enticed to coach the Detroit Pistons with a massive contract, and after just one season, Williams has been fired and will be paid a ton of money to not coach the Pistons. And according to Stephen A. Smith, Williams should be thankful it all worked out this way.

After being fired by the Phoenix Suns after the 2022-23 season, Williams was reportedly planning to take a little bit of time off to relax and enjoy his more than $20 million buyout from the Suns before jumping back into coaching. But when the Pistons came calling with a record-setting six-year, $78.5 million contract, Williams signed on the dotted line.

Although the Pistons were never viewed as a contender or anything close, Detroit was downright horrible in Williams' lone season at the helm. The Pistons went 14-68, finishing with the worst record in the NBA. During the season, they lost 28 games in a row (the longest single-season losing streak ever) and were the worst of a quintet of bad teams that also included the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, and Portland Trail Blazers.

With the Pistons shaking up their front office, it was a possibility Williams, despite more than $60 million left on his deal, would be on the chopping block in the organization's reshuffling. Now, it's official, and Stephen A. Smith took the time on ESPN's ‘Get Up' to give his view of the situation.

“Monty Williams is obviously a God-fearing man, very religious and what have you; he needs to get on his knees and look up and thank his Heavenly Father that he was let out of that miserable situation in Detroit,” Smith said. “He couldn't be happier, I know he's going to be happy, and obviously he's going to have other opportunities down the line because that situation in Detroit was an absolute mess. He regretted it from the time he got there, it's just that it's something he'll never say publicly.”

Monty Williams' contract with the Detroit Pistons

Former Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams

It's no secret that the best gig in the world is that of a fired major sports coach. But Monty Williams may be in the best position of any coach regardless of sport right now. After being fired by the Suns two years from removed from the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance, Williams could have stayed at home for the next three years to collect $21 million.

Instead, Williams decided to take up Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores' ridiculously lucrative contract offer of $78.5 million over six years, which became the largest NBA coaching contract in history until the market adjusted this season as a result of Williams' contract.  But things went oh-so-very wrong for Williams on the court; the Pistons proved to be miserable and Williams was roundly criticized for being hesitant to play certain players and lineups amid a 28-game losing streak.

But now none of that is Williams' problem anymore. With Pistons general manager Troy Weaver stepping down and New Orleans Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon joining the organization as president of basketball operations, Williams was ousted in favor of a new coach to be hired by Langdon. Williams, unless he swoops in to take the Los Angeles Lakers or Cleveland Cavaliers' vacant jobs, will likely take some time (for real this time) before choosing to return to coaching.