The Detroit Pistons shook up the NBA coaching world on Wednesday, firing head coach Monty Williams just one year after signing him to a massive six-year, $78.5 million deal.
That left another vacancy for some of the biggest coaching names still on the market, including one man who has regularly been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers—former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick.
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, “James Borrego could be a name to watch, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as well as Redick. Redick is currently a prime candidate for the Lakers job, so it isn’t known how much traction Detroit could actually gain.”
He added that Redick and new team president Trajan Langdon “have the Duke connection, and they were in New Orleans when Redick signed there as a free agent before the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season.”
Additionally, Detroit vice chairman Arn Tellem is also reportedly “a fan” of the former NBA shooting guard.
Redick successfully transitioned from his playing days into the media with several well-regarded podcasts—including a joint podcast with LeBron James, Mind the Game, which fueled speculation that perhaps Redick with James’ coaching candidate of choice—and his time at ESPN as an analyst and color commentator on the lead NBA broadcast team.
He doesn’t bring any coaching experience to the table, however. Learning on the job with the Lakers is no easy task—it’s one of the highest-profile coaching gigs in professional sports.
With a younger team like the Pistons—who are developing around young players like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson—there’s inherently less pressure.
Nobody expects the Pistons to be a playoff team next season. What is expected, however, is development and steady improvement.
Under Williams, the team was three games worse last year than they were in the 2022-23 campaign and suffered through an NBA-record 28-game losing streak, both disappointing developments that ultimately led to governor Tom Gores pulling the plug on both Williams and general manager Troy Weaver.
Would Redick right the ship? That remains to be seen. But he once again finds himself in the middle of a coaching search.