After parting ways with Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons have found their next coach. And it will be Dwane Casey. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons have agreed on a five-year deal with Casey, who was recently let go by the Raptors. Detroit owner Tom Gores met with former Raptors coach Dwane Casey on Tuesday to discuss the coaching vacancy.
The Raptors, who fired Casey after getting swept in the second round of the playoffs by LeBron James and the Cavaliers, are the only other NBA team without a coach.
Toronto's search seems to be less focused, with names ranging from in-house promotions like Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian to G League coach Jerry Stackhouse. In addition, Raptors president Masai Ujiri reportedly also interviewed Sarunas Jasikevicius for the vacant head-coaching position. Jasikevicius currently coaches Zalgris in Lithuania. He had a storied international career, and played for the Warriors and Pacers in the mid-2000s.
It's a lot to unpack, so follow our tracker to see who's in and who's out. Then go below to see the buzz of what teams are meeting with which coaches.
| Team | OUT | IN | NEWS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mike Budenholzer | Lloyd Pierce | After coach Mike Budenholzer and the team mutually agreed to part ways, the Hawks announced the hiring of 76ers assistant Lloyd Pierce. |
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Steve Clifford | James Borrego | The Hornets cut ties with coach Steve Clifford after failing to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Charlotte finalized a deal on Thursday to hire San Antonio assistant James Borrego as coach. |
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Stan Van Gundy | Dwane Casey | Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons parted ways after another disappointing season for Detroit. And now they've found their new man: Dwane Casey. The former Raptors coach was named Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches last season, and has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Pistons. |
|
David Fizdale | J.B. Bickerstaff | Fizdale might have been the most shocking firing of the season, as he was let go amid a reported struggle with Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. In the end, the Grizzlies decided to stick with Bickerstaff, signing him to a three-year deal. |
|
Jason Kidd | Mike Budenholzer | The Bucks fired Kidd after he led the Bucks to a 23-22 start to his fourth season, and replaced him with interim coach Joe Prunty for the remainder of the season. Prunty led the Bucks to the postseason, where they lost to the Celtics in the first round in seven games. In the end, that wasn't enough to get him the job full time, as the Bucks reached an agreement with former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. |
|
Jeff Hornacek | David Fizdale | The Knicks fired Hornacek after two seasons as the team's coach and a 60-104 record, the sixth worst in the league during that time. New York has agreed to terms with former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale on a four-year deal to become the team's next coach . |
|
Frank Vogel | Steve Clifford | The Magic hired former Hornets coach Steve Clifford to helm their rebuild. Clifford was 196-214 with the Hornets, but he did lead the team to two postseason appearances. An assistant with the Magic from 2007-12, Clifford has a four-year deal. |
|
Earl Watson | Igor Kokoskov | It didn't take the Suns long to realize that Watson wasn't their guy -- he was fired after just three games -- and Triano did an admirable job guiding the tanking efforts for the rest of the season. Now, they have their new man. Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov was the choice. The Serbian-born Kokoskov will be the first European born head coach in NBA history. |
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Dwane Casey | VACANT | The Toronto Raptors fired Dwane Casey, a move that came just days after being swept by Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs. Casey led Toronto to the No. 1 seed in the East and a franchise record 59 wins in 2017-18. |
Coaching Rumors
June 11, 2018
Detroit Pistons: The Detroit Pistons have reportedly found their new coach. After a lengthy search, the Pistons have come to an agreement on a five-year deal with Dwane Casey, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
June 6, 2018
Detroit Pistons: University of Michigan coach John Beilein, a candidate for the Pistons job, tweeted that he is excited about coaching the Wolverines program next season "and in the years to come," effectively pulling his name out of consideration for the head coaching job. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Pistons owner Tom Gores met with former Raptors coach Dwane Casey on Tuesday.
June 5, 2018
Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri reportedly interviewed former Lithuania star Sarunas Jasikevicius for the Raptors' head-coaching position. Jasikevicius played for the Warriors and Pacers in the mid-2000s, and currently coaches for Zalgris in Lithuania.
June 4, 2018
Detroit Pistons: According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons are interested in further conversations with former Raptors coach Dwane Casey and University of Michigan coach John Beilein. Both coaches have reportedly already met with the front office.
June 2, 2018
Detroit Pistons: Jordan Schultz of Yahoo! Sports reported that Jason Kidd has interviewed for the Pistons head coaching vacancy. Later on the Detroit Free Press confirmed his report.
June 1, 2018
Detroit Pistons: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that University of Michigan coach John Beilein, the national runner-up in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, interviewed for Detroit's head coaching job on Thursday -- the same day Dwane Casey was interviewed for the opening.
May 31, 2018
Detroit Pistons: Former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey meets with Pistons about franchise's head coaching job.
May 30, 2018
Detroit Pistons: TNT analyst and former NBA champion Kenny Smith expected to receive an interview for Pistons' head-coaching job. Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard also named as a candidate; will reportedly interview for head-coaching job.
Orlando Magic: Former Hornets coach Steve Clifford agrees to become Orlando Magic's new head coach.
May 25, 2018
Toronto Raptors: Toronto Raptors interview Spurs assistant coaches Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka for head coaching job; Messina on May 24th, and Udoka on May 25th.
May 24, 2018
Detroit Pistons: Ex-Raptors coach Dwane Casey named as "primary target" for Detroit Pistons to succeed Stan Van Gundy as head coach.
May 21, 2018
Toronto Raptors: It's reported by Yahoo Sports that Jerry Stackhouse, G League coach of Raptors 905, interviewed the week priorfor Toronto's head coaching vacancy.
May 17, 2018
Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks reach an agreement to bring in ex-Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer as their next head coach.
May 14, 2018
Toronto Raptors: Raptors assistant coaches Rex Kalamian and Nick Nurse reportedly scheduled to interview for Toronto's head-coaching vacancy.
May 11, 2018
Toronto Raptors: Dwane Casey, who was head coach of the Toronto Raptors for seven years, is fired by the franchise after being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs.
Atlanta Hawks: 76ers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce reaches agreement to become Hawks' new head coach.
Charlotte Hornets: Spurs assistant James Borrego named as Hornets coach to succeed Steve Clifford in Charlotte.
May 7, 2018
Detroit Pistons: Pistons announce Stan Van Gundy, head coach who also served as President of Basketball Operations, will not return in either role for the franchise next season. The team states it wants to hire a new coach and president separately.
Detroit Pistons: Former Cavs GM David Griffin has been rumored to be a candidate for the Pistons' GM vacancy; Jerry Stackhouse and Mike Budenholzer named as candidates to replace Stan Van Gundy as head coach.
April 25, 2018
Atlanta Hawks: Long-time coach Mike Budenholzer and the Hawks agree to mutually part ways after his reported displeasure with the franchise's future plans.
Possible coaching candidates
- Becky Hammon, 41, current Spurs assistant coach
- Ettore Messina, 58, current Spurs assistant
- Nick Nurse, 50, current Raptors assistant
- Kenny Smith, 53, current TV analyst
- Jerry Stackhouse, 43, current G League coach (Raptors 905)
- Ime Udoka, 40, current Spurs assistant
- Juwan Howard, 45, current Heat assistant
- Rex Kalamian, current Raptors assistant