The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a deal with Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams to become their next head coach, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal is reportedly for five years, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Williams will be the fifth head coach hired in the last five years for the organization, congruent with Devin Booker's tenure with the team.
The Suns star began his career under Jeff Hornacek, soon going under the guidance of Earl Watson, Jay Triano, and most-recently Igor Kokoskov, who was fired after one season. Out of them, Williams is the most experience as an NBA head coach, after a five-year tenure with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans.
Williams met with the Suns twice, the last including owner Robert Sarver, who made his case to Williams and provided his vision for the franchise. The 47-year-old also has interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and was the first candidate interviewed by them, though signs pointed to a deeper interest for Tyronn Lue, who coached LeBron James for two-and-a-half seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Williams has a 173-221 record as a head coach, but has important stints as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers (2005-10), the Oklahoma City Thunder (2015-16), while also playing an integral part in Brett Brown's coaching staff this season, as the Sixers have a 2-1 lead on the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Suns will have a coach that is endeared by players and respected by his peers, one they will trust with the development of this team after winning only 19 games this past season.
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