NBA Rumors: Monty Williams Will Have Easier Time Coaching Suns Over Lakers

Everyone knows that the Los Angeles Lakers are in no rush to name their next head coach. And for as long as this stands, top candidates may eventually sign up elsewhere. One of the three names on the Lakers list is Monty Williams – someone who has been linked to other NBA teams as well.

One of those teams is the Phoenix Suns. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, it looks like the Suns will beat the Lakers as far as signing up the current assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. This is largely in part because Phoenix is ready to hire him if he is interested in becoming the head coach. If he does, he succeeds previous Suns coach Igor Kokoskov who was fired after the 2018-19 NBA season after leading the franchise to a miserable 19-63 finish.

Williams finds himself in quite a situation where he can choose his path. As of this writing, he is focused on helping out Brett Brown with the Sixers in the ongoing NBA playoffs. Philly has allowed teams to interview the former head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans but nothing has been set in stone.

For the Lakers, it remains to be seen if this development would alarm them. For pundits, Tyronn Lue and Juwan Howard are the leading names to land the head coaching position. They are considered favorites because of their ties with LeBron James. But as far as someone who has been around, there is no question that the credentials of Williams stand out.

Perhaps this is one reason why Williams is keeping his options open. He could be intrigued with the possibility of coaching James and a young crew while at the same time insert other names that may finally put an end to the Lakers woes, Lakers Nation reported.

But time is essential and Williams will have to take a risk at some point. Lue and Howard have some sort of an edge so the waiting game may not end up in his favor. The Suns do have a formidable lineup and have a good chance of adding the top player in the 2019 NBA Rookie Draft – Zion Williamson, Sports Illustrated reported.

With DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker already in the Suns’ fold, Williams could likewise be lured into considering the head coaching position with three top guys (at the least) under his watch.