The Pistons are not finished revamping their front office.
The Detroit Pistons are still looking to add to their front office this offseason. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Detroit Pistons are interested in hiring Dallas Mavericks senior adviser Dennis Lindsey to join their front office.
Lindsey was once a finalist for Detroit’s President of Basketball Operations position. He interviewed with team owner Tom Gores for the post before Trajan Langdon was hired. Even after hiring the former General Manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pistons’ front office is still seeking to attract Lindsey away from the Mavericks.
Dallas recently signed a contract extension with General Manager Nico Harrison. Lindsey’s desire for a larger front office job may prompt him to relocate to a city in need, such as Detroit.
Lindsey spent a decade in the Utah Jazz front office before to joining Dallas as an adviser. When Dannay Ainge was recruited to lead the Jazz, Lindsey stepped down.
Lindsey does have a credible track record of assembling playoff-caliber players. During his reign, Utah established themselves as a perennial playoff team. That roster featured notable players such as Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, who won Defensive Player of the Year three times with the squad. Lindsey did an excellent job of surrounding the foundation components with complementary players such as Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Joe Ingles.
Lindsey also faced criticism in 2015 when he was linked to former Jazz guard Elijah Millsap. Millsap revealed in 2021 that at his exit interview, Lindsey told him, “If you say one more word, I’ll cut your Black ass and send you back to Louisiana.” Lindsey rejected the charge, and no proof was presented when the allegations surfaced.
Pistons coaching evaluation
Stein further stated that Langdon is now evaluating head coach Monty Williams and his coaching staff. Williams made a disastrous debut in Detroit, leading the Pistons to an NBA-worst and franchise-worst 14-68 record in 2023-24. Expectations pointed to hopes that Williams might help cultivate Detroit’s young players and teach them how to win.
Williams had faced criticism for a number of perplexing actions that contributed to the team’s troubles. He started Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey for nearly half of the season. There were also numerous questions regarding his replacements, which frequently included all-bench lineups with no staggered minutes for starters.
While Williams may have been dealt a difficult hand with an inexperienced roster, his coaching decisions did not make matters better. It seemed strange to sit players like Marvin Bagley, who was busting out on both sides of the court, for Isaiah Livers and James Wiseman.
Williams signed a six-year, $80 million contract to become the Pistons’ head coach last offseason. That contract makes him the highest-paid NBA coach. Regardless of those parameters, Langdon has been assessing the coaching staff’s future with the Pistons.
