J.B. Bickerstaff will be the Pistons‘ next head coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. James L. Edwards of The Athletic reports that the deal contains four guaranteed years.
The 45-year-old coach lands his next job just weeks after being fired in Cleveland. He inherits a talented young roster, much like the one he had when he took over the Cavaliers in 2020.
Bickerstaff was one of three candidates who reportedly interviewed for the position in Detroit. The competition thinned out significantly on Friday when Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego opted to pull his name out of the search and remain in New Orleans.
Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney was the other finalist for the job, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
The Pistons are looking for a new direction after a disastrous season under Monty Williams, who guided them to a franchise-worst 14-68 record before being dismissed earlier in June. New head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made the decision to fire Williams, who still had five seasons remaining on his six-year, $78.5M contract, along with general manager Troy Weaver.
The mission to turn the franchise around now belongs to Bickerstaff, who led the Cavs to playoff appearances in the past two seasons. He compiled a 170-159 record in four-plus years in Cleveland, but players reportedly expressed doubts behind the scenes about his “strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures.”
Bickerstaff, the son of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, broke into the league in 2004 as an assistant with Charlotte. He moved onto assistant jobs in Minnesota and Houston, then was promoted to head coach of the Rockets early in the 2015-16 season. He wasn’t brought back despite posting a 37-34 record and reaching the playoffs. He moved onto Memphis as an assistant and later became head coach, compiling a 48-97 record.
Bickerstaff will be expected to build a winning team around Cade Cunningham, something the franchise has been unable to do since he was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. The new coach will have a roster filled with recent lottery picks, including Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and this year’s first-round selection Ron Holland. The Pistons also have more than $58M in cap room, allowing them to be aggressive in free agency.