Sources - Suns dismiss coach Monty Williams after 4 seasons - ESPN

The Phoenix Suns have dismissed coach Monty Williams, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday night.

Williams had a 194-115 record in four seasons with the Suns and won the NBA Coach of the Year Award last season after Phoenix won 64 games. In 2021, he helped guide the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance in nearly 20 years.

However, the team has taken a step back in the playoffs in the seasons since, failing to advance past the second round. New Suns owner Mat Ishbia made the decision to fire Williams two days after the Suns lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Denver Nuggets in six games.

Ishbia, who bought the team in December, made an early splash with the blockbuster acquisition of Kevin Durant at the trade deadline in February. However, an ankle sprain sidelined Durant for all but eight games before the postseason began, and both Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton went down with injuries during the playoffs.

The Suns' season ended in a 125-100 defeat at the hands of the Nuggets, Phoenix's second blowout loss in an elimination game in as many years. Williams took responsibility for the loss after the Denver game.

«I take that personally, not having our team ready to play in the biggest game of the year,» Williams said. «That's something that I pride myself on, and it just didn't happen.… That's something I have to take a deep look at, everything I'm doing.»

Phoenix will be competing with the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, who also go into the summer with head-coaching vacancies, as it begins the search for Williams' replacement.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.