The Phoenix Suns have fired Monty Williams with the head coach the first man to pay the price for another disappointing play-off exit for the franchise.
Williams was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2022, but 12 months on he is out of a job in the wake of the Suns' Western Conference semi-final exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
“We are filled with gratitude for everything Monty has contributed to the Suns and to the Valley community," Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement confirming Williams' departure.
Williams spent four years in Arizona, inheriting a team that had failed to make the play-offs for nine straight seasons, but in his second year, he steered the team to just their third NBA Finals appearance, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
A year later, he was named the league's best coach after leading the Suns to the number-one seed in the West, but their season ended in the conference semi-finals with a drubbing by the Dallas Mavericks in a Game Seven decider.
After a solid start to the season, the team made a splash at the trade deadline in February in hope of smashing through the glass ceiling, sending a huge haul of players and picks to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire a superstar in Kevin Durant in a finals-or-bust move
But the gamble failed, with the move leaving the Suns' roster depth paper thin and that was compounded in the postseason by injuries for Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. In their absence, Durant and Devin Booker were unable to match Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets as Denver sealed the series with a game-six 125-100 thrashing on Thursday.
A summer rebuild is on the cards for the Suns with Paul and Ayton reportedly on the trade block as the team tries to address a desperate need for depth, but Williams will not be the man leading the team into a new era.
Three-time NBA champion Danny Green told SportsCenter the Suns' decision to part ways with the 51-year-old was "shocking", but he believes Williams will not have to wait long to find a new job.
"I'm very surprised, but with this business, you know how it goes. Nobody is safe, it's a 'What have you done for me lately?' type of league," Green said.
"But this is shocking to me. He's done some great things, he's a great coach, he's a great guy and I think he connected well with the players.
"I don't think there is much more he could have done in that series. I don't think they were the better team (and) they lost.
"They are making changes, they are looking for what moves they can make player-wise and coaching-wise and he caught the short end of the stick.
"He's a great guy, he will definitely find another spot."
Williams' dismissal is the first major decision of billionaire Mat Ishbia, who became the owner of the Suns in February, and how the franchise moves forward in the wake of this decision could well lead to a lasting impression – good or bad – on the fanbase.
Williams became the fifth coaching departure since the end of the regular season, with Mike Budenholzer fired by the Milwaukee Bucks and Nick Nurse being axed by the Toronto Raptors.
Stephen Silas left the Houston Rockets after the team declined to extend his contract and the Detroit Pistons are looking for a new head coach after Dwane Casey's resignation.
