Detroit Pistons coach gets paid a la Connor McDavid

I don’t know if you’ve seen the news, but in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons have hired a new head coach by the name of Monty Williams. The club which obtained 17 victories last year is therefore starting on new bases.

Williams has a good reputation and it’s a good move from the Detroit franchise.

To convince the former Suns driver, who lost his job after his team lost in the playoffs, to come to Michigan, he was offered a golden bridge. We’re talking about a six-year contract at $12 million a year, or $72 million.

Options and bonuses could bring his total salary to $100 million.

$12 million per year… $100 million in total… these are figures that look very similar to those of Connor McDavid (eight years, $100 million) and those of Nathan MacKinnon (eight years, $100.8 million), right?

Observation: a star coach in the NBA is as much money as a superstar in the NHL.

What you have to understand is that Williams had to take the year off since the Suns still owe him $21 million. He was fired with three years left on his contract.

He was to earn seven million dollars a year with his old contract… and to that is added a contract of six to eight years which will earn him almost, if you stretch the sauce, double that annually.

I understand him for saying yes. And this, even if a big challenge awaits him in Detroit.

It is important to note that he is not the only highly paid trainer. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio) earns $11.5 million per year and Steve Kerr (Golden State) earns $9.5 million per campaign.

Of course, it’s easy to draw comparisons to the NHL, where coaches don’t earn exactly the same amount as their NBA counterparts.

Gary Bettman, who has worked in the NBA before, must want to widen the gap.

We know that incomes are not the same in the NBA as in the NHL. The television contract is not as profitable in the United States in hockey as in basketball, in particular.

Even MLS is overtaking the NHL as the fourth major sport down the border.

That’s why coaches aren’t paid as well in the NHL. Yes, there has been a small uptick since Mike Babcock signed his contract with the Maple Leafs, but that’s nothing for challenger the NBA.

Recall that the former Leafs earned just over six million dollars per season. That said, what stood out the most was that his contract was for eight years. It will end in the next few weeks, by the way.

Before losing his job almost two years ago, Joel Quenneville (Florida) was the highest paid per year at $5.25 million. Right now, from what we know, Todd McLellan (Kings) is the highest paid at $5M a year.

However, he will be without a contract in a year.

We don’t know everyone’s contract (maybe Mike Sullivan and Jon Cooper are making more money), but no one seems to have a valid contract after the 2026-2027 season, four years from now.

Martin St-Louis earns three million dollars per season. The Hall of Famer still has two years left on his contract with the Canadiens.

A lot of

– In effect.

– Who will stay in Toronto?

– It was expected.

– Wow.

– Milan Lucic back home?