This NBA offseason saw teams handing out plenty of big contracts. Those deals extended to coaches, too. Less than a month after the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Monty Williams, the Detroit Pistons hired him to a record-setting contract worth $78.5 million over six years — and includes options that could push the value up to $100 million across eight seasons.
That deal made Williams the highest-paid coach in the NBA, though he only held that title for about five weeks. Later that summer, the San Antonio Spurs inked Gregg Popovich to an extension, and Popovich reclaimed his title atop the league’s highest-earning head coaches. Popovich’s deal is worth $80 million over five seasons.
Together, Popovich ($16 million) and Williams ($13.05 million) are making $29.05 million this season. They also happen to coach the two worst teams in the NBA.
Gregg Popovich (L) and Monty Williams during a 2021 game. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
As of this writing, the Pistons are 3-32, and the Spurs are 5-29. That’s a combined 8-61 record, meaning the two coaches are making about $3.63 million per their teams’ collective victories. Both teams sit in last place in their respective conferences.
The Pistons also made a bit of NBA history — in the worst way. They set the record for the most consecutive losses in a single season with 28 defeats in a row. That streak also tied the all-time record; the Philadelphia 76ers accomplished that feat across both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
The Spurs recently ended a lengthy losing streak of their own. Their December 15 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers broke an 18-game skid.
Yet Popovich and the Spurs’ losing ways have taken a back seat to the woes of Williams and the Pistons. What’s even more wild is that Detroit started this season winning two of their first three games. They actually had a winning record at one point this season, sitting at 2-1 on October 28.
Another crazy stat: The Texas Rangers, winners of the 2023 World Series, have won a game more recently than the Pistons. The Rangers haven’t played since November 1.
Popovich has had a legendary career, and Williams saw some good success with the Suns. However, in their current situations, it looks like a significant uphill battle for both coaches.