With one year remaining on his contract, Dwane Casey isn’t a lock to return as the Pistons’ coach next season. One of the early steps in making that decision took place when Casey met with members of the team’s ownership after Wednesday’s game, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
“We talked about how we’re going to look at everything and meet again after we’re all done and see which way we all want to go as far as the organization,” Casey said. “There’s nothing that’s been decided as far as that’s concerned.”
Casey joined the Pistons in 2018 shortly after being fired by the Raptors despite winning Coach of the Year honors. He inherited a playoff-level team built around Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and went 41-41 in his first season.
The Pistons eventually shifted to rebuilding mode, and when Troy Weaver was hired as general manager in 2020, he viewed Casey as the best coach to develop young talent. Casey was rewarded with an extension that runs through the end of next season.
According to Sankofa, Casey has enjoyed a full vote of confidence from the Pistons’ decision makers, including owner Tom Gores and senior advisor Arn Tellem as well as Weaver. That has enabled him to become the league’s sixth-longest-tenured head coach despite a 120-262 record.
Coming off a promising year centered around No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, Detroit entered this season with hopes of contending for a play-in spot. But Cunningham played just 12 games before undergoing season-ending shin surgery in December, and the Pistons have gone through another year of losing with a young roster. At 16-64, they have clinched the worst record in the NBA and are in danger of setting a franchise mark for the most losses in a season.
Despite the frustrations, hope remains for a quick turnaround next season. Whether Casey will be part of that next step is a decision that will be made this summer.
“I’m here,” Casey told reporters when asked about his status. “I’m under contract for another year. I committed to Tom that we were winning 60 games when I left (Toronto), and now we’re losing 60 games, but I committed to him to come in and turn around the organization. We are where we are right now. I know it seems like it’s forever away, but we’re not that far away. This team is not that far away.”
