The Detroit Pistons are one of several teams that could soon be searching for a new head coach.
There has been widespread speculation that head coach Dwane Casey will not be back to finish out the final year of his contract, and this speculation heightened when he recently had a one-on-one with owner Tom Gores.
The two have already said they will meet again at the end of the season, and it may be Casey’s decision whether to return as head coach, take a front office position or move on altogether.
If the Pistons do decide to part ways with Casey, they likely won’t be the only team out there looking for a coach and could end up competing for some of the same people.
Here are some of the teams that could be looking for a new coach and how it might affect the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Competition for head coaches
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, there are at least two other teams that are likely to be hunting for a new head coach this offseason.
The first is the Toronto Raptors, which is somewhat surprising given Nick Nurse’s success there and the fact that he helped bring the franchise their only title. But they were disappointing this season and Nurse’s recent comments make it sound like he is ready to move on.
If he does, he is a possible candidate for the Detroit Pistons, and it would mark the second time that Nurse has taken a job recently vacated by Dwane Casey. That prospect seems unlikely, but that doesn’t mean the two teams won’t cross paths.
The Raptors could be interested in Ime Udoka, who could also be a possibility for the Detroit Pistons this offseason. Udoka has interviewed with the Pistons in the past and will likely be one of the top candidates this offseason.
The other team is the Houston Rockets, whose head coach Stephen Silas has long been reported to be on the hot seat. Like Casey, Silas was not put in a position to actually win games, but they too are looking to transition to winning next season and will likely have a new coach.
Fischer mentioned Pistons’ assistant Rex Kalamian as a possibility for Houston, as they are reportedly going after James Harden and Kalamian has a relationship with him from their time in OKC. Scott Brooks would be another possibility and is a guy the Pistons could interview considering his resume and connections to Troy Weaver from OKC.
If the Detroit Pistons are going to move on from Casey, they should do it quickly so they can start the interview process immediately and find their new coach before the offseason is fully underway.