The Detroit Pistons wrapped up a 17-65 season on Sunday with a 103-81 loss to Chicago, as they finally get to officially turn the page to the 2023-24 season where optimism will, hopefully, abound. After finishing with the league’s worst record, the Pistons will take a different shape next year both in terms of roster makeup, as they hope to have lottery luck to reshape their lineup, and on the bench, as Dwane Casey announced after the game that he’d be stepping down as head coach to move into a front office role in Detroit.
Casey: “This is my last game. I’m moving to the front office.”
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) April 9, 2023
Casey: “Tom is giving me an opportunity to move into the front office. I’m excited to go to the next phase of my life. Time to spend more time with my family. This team is on the right track. They probably need to hear a new voice. This is my decision.”
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) April 9, 2023
Casey reiterated it was his decision to make the move from the bench to the front office, but it’s not a surprise as the young Pistons look to move into a new phase of their rebuild. The Pistons will, of course, hope they end up with the top spot in the 2023 NBA Draft and can add Victor Wembanyama to their young backcourt of Cade Cunningham (as he returns from injury) and Jaden Ivey to create a formidable young core group. The timing of when they make a hire, along with the Houston Rockets, will be fascinating to watch as it would make sense for top candidates to potentially look to wait out the Draft Lottery and see if one of those two lands the top pick — or if one falls out of the top-3 completely.
As for candidates, Detroit’s list will likely look like that of a number of other teams looking for a new coach this year, with Ime Udoka, Charles Lee, and Adrian Griffin headlining their wishlist, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Pistons candidates will include Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, Ime Udoka, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, among others, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 9, 2023