The Detroit Pistons will be one of the teams looking for a new head coach this offseason as Dwane Casey announced he would be stepping down and moving into the front office, as he told reporters following the Pistons' season finale in Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

Casey has a year left on his contract and finished as the longest-tenured coach since Chuck Daly’s nine-year run from 1983-92. The Pistons went into full rebuild mode the last three years, which wasn’t the situation Casey believed he was walking into after helping turn the Toronto Raptors into contenders.

It will give Pistons general manager Troy Weaver a chance to hire his first head coach since taking over in 2020. Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin are highly thought of around the league and are expected to get a look for the Pistons' opening. Former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka was a finalist during the last Pistons coaching search and they could revisit him this time around.

One dark horse candidate could be Vanderbilt's Jerry Stackhouse, a former Piston who’s paid his dues in the NBA and G League before going the college route. Stackhouse played for the Pistons from 1998-2002 and when the Pistons debuted their teal jersey over the summer, Stackhouse introduced it.

It’ll be one of the more intriguing jobs on the market, as the Pistons have $97 million in committed salary for 2023-24, close to $40 million in space and the likelihood of obtaining a top-three draft pick with the top odds for the lottery.

Internally, assistant Jerome Allen should get a look, too. Allen was a high-level assistant in Boston under Brad Stevens and has been highly thought of around the league. Allen has a strong relationship with Casey and other members of the Pistons organization, along with his relationships with the young foundational pieces on the roster.

Some around the league believe the Pistons will go with a young assistant type, similar to what Oklahoma City did with Mark Daigneault when Billy Donovan left the post. It seems clear the Pistons will be looking for someone energetic and who can grow with the team as its personnel matures — they’re making a long-term decision now as opposed to waiting another year, it seems.

Just before Casey's announcement, it was reported Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas will not return next season, making two early openings before the NBA season concludes.