Do 76ers Have a Candidate in Detroit Pistons' Head Coach Search?

The Detroit Pistons are one of several NBA teams on the hunt for a new head coach. As Dwane Casey stepped down from the position to transition into a different role with the Pistons’ front office, Detroit fired up a search as soon as the 2022-2023 regular season concluded.

Will the Philadelphia 76ers have an assistant in the mix for Detroit? It doesn’t seem to be trending that way, as the search reportedly concludes.

Although one of Doc Rivers’ top assistants, Sam Cassell, has garnered interest from teams over the years and even had an interview with the Houston Rockets before they hired Ime Udoka, Detroit didn’t seem to take an interest in Cassell.

According to a report from The Athletic, the Pistons have narrowed down their coaching search to three finalists. Among them are Overtime Elite’s Kevin Ollie, New Orleans Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins, and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee.

The 2023-2024 regular season will be pivotal for the Pistons, who have to start looking to turn their rebuild around. With Cade Cunningham in the building recognized as the sure face of the franchise, Detroit is at a stage where they need to get the right pieces around him and develop their young roster further.

The Pistons will likely be the next team to fill a head coaching vacancy, and it seems they’ll do so without taking one of the Sixers’ most notable assistants. 

Beyond Detroit, two other Eastern Conference teams remain in the hunt for a new leader in the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks.

So far, it’s unclear who the top candidates are for both of those squads.