The Detroit Pistons will enter the next stage of their rebuild with a new head coach. Dwayne Casey, who coached the Pistons for the past five seasons, is stepping down and will move to the front office role.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Pistons are expected to have Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee and ex-Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as their candidates for Casey’s replacement.
Casey confirmed that 2022-23 will be his last season as the Pistons’ head coach after Sunday’s regular-season finale against Chicago Bulls. He said that Pistons+ owner Tom Gores offered him a front office role, and he decided to take it so he could focus on spending more time with his family.
“Tom is giving me an opportunity to move into the front office,” Casey said. “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.”
Dwane Casey was named the Pistons’ head coach ahead of the 2018-19 NBA season. He led the team to a 121-263 record in his five seasons at the helm, managing to make the playoffs once. Casey’s time in Detroit was marked by a complete rebuild after the 2018-19 campaign, which led to the team having one of the youngest rosters in the league in the past couple of seasons.
Casey walks away after the Pistons went 17-65 in 2022-23, posting the NBA’s worst record and having the second-worst season in franchise history.
