Detroit Pistons hiring J.B. Bickerstaff as next head coach

J.B. Bickerstaff is going from coach of one Central Division NBA team to another team in the same division.

The Detroit Pistons have reached a deal to make Bickerstaff their new head coach, a person with knowledge of the hire confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until an official announcement was made.

New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon continues to make changes in his short time in the job.

Bickerstaff, 45, coached the Cleveland Cavaliers for the past four-plus seasons, leading the team to the playoffs the past two years – a 51-31 record in 2022-23 and a 48-34 record in in 2023-24.

The Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round this season.

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His coaching style fell out of favor with key players as the Cavaliers look to compete for a title focused on Donovan Mitchells signing a long-term extension.

It didn’t take long for Bickerstaff, the son of former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, to find a new top job. He was 170-159 with the Cavaliers, 37-34 in 2015-16 with Houston and 48-97 in nearly two seasons (2017-18, 2018-19) with Memphis.

The Pistons fired Monty Williams earlier in June after just one season with five years and $65 million remaining on his contract, and they selected wing Ron Holland II with the No. 5 pick in the first round of the draft on Wednesday.

The Pistons were 14-68 in 2023-24.