Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons plan to interview former Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff as a potential replacement for former head coach Monty Williams, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

The Pistons have also received permission to interview Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, per Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski added that the Pistons "are expected to call for permission on more assistants too."

The Pistons are seeking to replace Williams, who was fired Wednesday after one year and a 14-68 record with the team.

Bickerstaff is looking for his next head coaching job after he was fired in May following four full seasons with the Cavaliers.

A shorthanded Cavs roster went to the second round of the playoffs this postseason, but Bickerstaff was dismissed following Cleveland's elimination by the Boston Celtics.

Bickerstaff has experience leading a rebuild. He improved from 22 wins in his first season with the Cavaliers to 50 wins in his third campaign by building around a core of young players including Darius Garland.

Sweeney rose to prominence for his role in taking the Mavericks to the 2024 Finals as the team's defensive coordinator. Dallas star Luka Dončić in May credited Sweeney with the Mavericks' defensive schemes this season, Jace Frederick reported for TwinCities.com.

Sweeney also has ties to the Pistons, having spent three seasons as an assistant in Detroit before joining the Mavericks in 2021.

Nori, the lead assistant in Minnesota, took a larger role for the Timberwolves during the playoffs when he stepped up in place of injured head coach Chris Finch.

Nori is also connected to Detroit after working on the Pistons staff from 2018 to 2021.

The Pistons promised a six-year, $78 million contract to Williams last year. The desire for a change on the sideline after the team recorded 14 wins, the fewest in franchise history, was strong enough that the Pistons will now pay him $65 million not to coach in Detroit.

Whichever head coach the Pistons choose to replace Williams will take on the critical role of developing young talents like Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey as Detroit looks to begin rebuilding this fall.

Austin Reaves isn't interested in becoming a member of the Detroit Pistons.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard said as much to a fan, who was trying to recruit him to the Pistons, while golfing on Wednesday:

It's hard to blame him. The Pistons were the NBA's worst team last season, finishing 14-68, and just fired head coach Monty Williams. The team has some promising young talents, led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, but appears to be a long way from competing for playoff berths or championships.

The Lakers, meanwhile, have struggled to get the roster balance right around the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but have fought their way into the playoffs the past two seasons nonetheless.

There isn't a player in the NBA who would say with a straight face that they would rather player for the current iteration of the Pistons over the Lakers. Reaves is no exception.

The Detroit Pistons shook up the NBA coaching world Wednesday, firing head coach Monty Williams just one year after signing him to a massive six-year, $78.5 million deal.

That left another vacancy for some of the biggest coaching names still on the market, including one man who has regularly been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers—former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick.

According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, "James Borrego could be a name to watch, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as well as Redick. Redick is currently a prime candidate for the Lakers job, so it isn't known how much traction Detroit could actually gain."

He added that Redick and new team president Trajan Langdon "have the Duke connection, and they were in New Orleans when Redick signed there as a free agent before the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season."

Additionally, Detroit vice chairman Arn Tellem is also reportedly "a fan" of the former NBA shooting guard.

Redick successfully transitioned from his playing days into the media with several well-regarded podcasts—including a joint podcast with LeBron James, Mind the Game, which fueled speculation that perhaps Redick with James' coaching candidate of choice—and his time at ESPN as an analyst and color commentator on the lead NBA broadcast team.

He doesn't bring any coaching experience to the table, however. Learning on the job with the Lakers is no easy task—it's one of the highest-profile coaching gigs in professional sports.

With a younger team like the Pistons—who are developing around young players like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson—there's inherently less pressure.

Nobody expects the Pistons to be a playoff team next season. What is expected, however, is development and steady improvement.

Under Williams, the team was three games worse last year than it was in the 2022-23 campaign and suffered through an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, both disappointing developments that ultimately led to governor Tom Gores pulling the plug on both Williams and general manager Troy Weaver.

Would Redick right the ship? That remains to be seen. But he once again finds himself in the middle of a coaching search.

Even Monty Williams was reportedly shocked by the Detroit Pistons' decision to fire him with $65 million remaining on his contract on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "Williams was certainly blindsided today by the timing of his dismissal."

Wojnarowski also initially reported Detroit decided to fire the coach and absorb the remaining money on his contract.

The timing is notable, as the Pistons now have to conduct a coaching search while they also prepare for the looming NBA draft and free agency. What's more, the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are much further along in their search for a new head coach, while Detroit will be starting from close to scratch.

Wojnarowski explained that much of the surprise from Williams' perspective comes because he had recently been meeting with new Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon to discuss the future and potential offseason moves.

However, governor Tom Gores and team vice chairman Arn Tellem advocated for firing the head coach.

It's not as if Williams found any success in his brief time with the Pistons with a league-worst 14-68 record that included a 28-game losing streak. That tied an NBA record for the longest regular-season losing streak.

Yet he wasn't working with much in terms of roster construction either.

Detroit hasn't won more than 23 games in any of the last five seasons and surpassed the 20-win mark just once in that span. It looks nowhere near contending status even with a potential franchise cornerstone in place in Cade Cunningham.

Williams' time with the Pistons was a far cry from his prior four-year run with the Phoenix Suns when he went 194-115 with three playoff appearances and a spot in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Perhaps he will find more success and longevity at his next stop because it didn't happen with the Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons are reportedly expected to interview New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego for their head coaching vacancy.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported the Pistons will "strongly consider" Borrego to replace Monty Williams, who was fired Wednesday after just one season.

Borrego is already a candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers vacancies. The Lakers job is unlikely after they met with Borrego twice and still focused their search on other candidates—most notably UConn coach Dan Hurley and ESPN analyst JJ Redick—but Borrego is a strong option in Detroit and Cleveland.

Borrego, 46, previously did a strong job with the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets from 2018 to 2022. The Hornets went 138-163 under Borrego but were 43-39 during his final season with the team, and his firing was considered a surprise at the time. Charlotte has won a combined 48 games the last two seasons since firing Borrego.

The Pistons job fits Borrego's reputation as a builder of young talent. Detroit has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons but has no team cohesion to show for it. The Pistons lavished Monty Williams with a six-year, $78.5 million contract last offseason only to fire him a year later after a miserable 14-68 campaign.

While the Detroit roster is littered with high lottery picks, none have turned into surefire stars. Cade Cunningham, the top pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is the most promising of the bunch but still hasn't developed into a consistent, high-level performer. Given the fact the 2024 NBA draft is not considered rife with talent, the Pistons are unlikely to find that gem with the No. 5 pick next week.

By contrast, the Cavaliers have made the playoffs two straight seasons and have a bonafide All-Star on their roster already in Donovan Mitchell. If Borrego has a choice between the two jobs and wants to compete immediately, Cleveland will be where he winds up.

Not everyone agrees with the Detroit Pistons' decision to fire Monty Williams after one season as head coach, as reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

NBA fans on Wednesday responded to the decision to send Williams out of Detroit after the Pistons finished the 2023-24 season with a NBA-worst 14-68 record.

The Pistons signed Williams to a record six-year, $78.5 million deal last May.

It will now be up to president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon to find a new head coach. Langdon also parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver after his position with the Pistons was announced on June 1.

The Pistons hired Williams two years after he was named the NBA's Coach of the Year for leading the Phoenix Suns to a franchise-record 64 wins during the 2020-21 season.

Detroit leadership was previously confident in Williams as the franchise's next long-term head coach that they included team options to extend his record-setting contract through eight seasons.

But Wojnarowski reported that the decision to dismiss Williams was made by Pistons owner Tom Gores, not Langdon:

Williams inherited a team that had gone 17-65 the season prior. The Pistons were in the early stages of a rebuild when the former Suns coach arrived in Detroit.

Some fans pointed out that the Pistons' roster was severely limited by injuries to key players including Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.

Other fans expressed concern that Williams' firing would send the Pistons back to Stage 1 of the rebuild:

More fans questioned the timing of the decision, which took place one week before the 2024 NBA Draft.

Williams, whom Wojnarowski reported had $65 million-plus remaining on his deal with the Pistons, is still owed money from his previous buyout by the Suns.

After previously planning to sit out the 2023-24 season due to his wife's cancer diagnosis, per Wojnarowski, Williams may decide to take time away from the NBA. Alternatively, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers still have head coaching vacancies and could potentially consider him as a candidate if he is looking for another job.

The Detroit Pistons confirmed Wednesday that have fired head coach Monty Williams after one season on the bench.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the decision.

Williams sudden exit comes after after Detroit handed him a record-setting six-year, $78.5 million contract. The Pistons are now left to pay him more than $65 million to not coach anymore.

Because of that, the franchise is opening itself up to plenty of mockery.

That's still better to admit you made a costly mistake than persist with a partnership that isn't working. That risked doing far more damage to the team than having the owners simply write Williams a large check.

And it only took one year to raise serious questions over Williams' fit with the Pistons' young roster.

Detroit's 14-68 record was its worst ever and the season included the longest losing streak in NBA history (28 games). More than that, Williams didn't seem to be forging the kind of culture that would pay long-term dividends, and some of his strategic decisions were puzzling to say the least.

Starting Killian Hayes, who was waived in February, over Jaden Ivey to open the season was a head-scratcher. The same was true for leaning on the likes of Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn and James Wiseman and tinkering with lineups that have little to no upside.

That's not to say the Pistons are a head coach away from being a playoff contender.

Detroit hired Trajan Langdon as its new president of basketball operations earlier in the offseason, and firing general manager Troy Weaver was his first piece of business in the role. The organization is effectively hitting the reset button after five years of being in the lottery, which is always the sign of a rebuild gone bad.

Langdon now has the opportunity to hire his own head coach, one who's better suited for the squad. The Pistons are entering the coaching carousel at a relatively late stage, but the scale of the challenge ahead for Williams' replacement would've probably limited the pool of suitors regardless of when the vacancy became available.

One benefit is that whoever comes in should be afforded plenty of patience.

The Detroit Pistons are unlikely to make a coaching change this offseason.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported that current Pistons head coach Monty Williams is "likely" to return as the team's head coach despite a difficult season.

Williams was hired by Detroit prior to the 2023-24 season and still has five-years and $80 million remaining on his deal. If he were to have been fired, the Los Angeles Lakers had been linked as a potential landing spot.

Last season was a rough one for the Pistons. Detroit went 14-68 in 2023-24, worst in the NBA. This included a 28-game losing streak early in the season, and the situation wasn't improved when the Pistons fell from first to fifth in the NBA Draft lottery.

While Williams didn't elevate the Pistons in his first season, it's unfair to say that he was expected to lead the team to greatness immediately. Detroit hasn't reached the postseason since 2018-19 and had a 17-64 record in 2022-23. The roster did not have significant change from the prior seasons, but Williams inability to help the team show any improvement had his job security coming into question.

This was only exacerbated by the team's willingness to let the new president of basketball operations make final decisions on the future of the coaching staff and front office. That job would end up going to Trajan Langdon.

Instead of picking a new coach, it looks like the team will run it back with Williams. He had a pretty successful tenure with the Phoenix Suns from 2019-20 to 2022-23, leading the team to a 194-115 overall record and even a NBA Finals berth in 2020-21. This, combined with his large contract, could be a contributing factor to him getting a longer leash.

As the Detroit Pistons try to figure out a path to success, Cade Cunningham seems likely to be a huge part of their long-term future.

Per The Athletic's James Edwards III, Cunningham is "99.9 percent" likely to sign a max extension with the Pistons this offseason.

The Pistons can offer Cunningham a five-year deal that could be worth up to $225 million. This summer marks the first time he is eligible to sign an extension.

Cunningham is under contract for $13.9 million next season and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025 if he doesn't sign the deal.

Coming off the worst season in franchise history with a 14-68 record, the Pistons made a significant change in their front office. General manager Troy Weaver left after four seasons and Trajan Langdon was named president of basketball operations on June 1.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Pistons could have up to $66 million in cap space this summer if they decline Evan Fournier's team option and waive Troy Brown Jr. and Stanley Umude.

There have been rumblings Detroit could be aggressive in free agency with the hope of making a quick turnaround. Edwards previously reported Nic Claxton could be targeted by the team if he leaves the Brooklyn Nets.

The potential addition of Claxton would create a problem because Jalen Duren was arguably the Pistons' second-best player last season and he's only 20 years old, but they are starting from such a low point that every option should be on the table right now.

If there is a concern about Cunningham's long-term potential, he has missed a lot of time early in his career. He has only played 138 games over the past three seasons, including 12 during the 2022-23 season due to a stress fracture in his shin that required surgery.

Still, Cunningham is the one player on the roster who looks like a potential future All-Star. The No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft set career-highs in scoring average (22.7), assists (7.5), field-goal percentage (44.9) and three-point percentage (35.5) in 62 appearances last season.