Detroit Pistons Exec Lands Interest From Raptors

Dwane Casey is gaining interest from one of his former teams.

Mar 1, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of the Toronto Raptors logo at center court before the start of a game between the Raptors and the Portland Trail Blazers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images | Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

It seems the Toronto Raptors could be eyeing a reunion with Dwane Casey.

The current Detroit Pistons executive was recently revealed to be a candidate to replace Masai Ujiri in the Toronto Raptors’ front office, according to SportsNet.

“Former Raptors head coach and current Detroit Pistons executive Dwane Casey has thrown his hat in the ring and has met with MLSE president Keith Pelley, per sources. I'm told another NBA figure of note Pelley has met with is former Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair. The 2022-23 NBA executive of the year was let go by the Kings in April after leading Sacramento to one of its most successful runs in franchise history.”

Casey, 68, has been around the NBA in some capacity since 1994. He started as an assistant coach for the Seattle SuperSonics. His first head coaching job came in 2005, when he joined the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves wouldn’t keep Casey past his second season. With a 20-20 record in year two, Casey was fired. He would take on an assistant job with the Dallas Mavericks before making his way to the Raptors to take over their head coaching job.

Casey would coach the Raptors for seven seasons. They missed the playoffs in the first two years, but made it every year since then under Casey's management. Casey’s Raptors made one Eastern Conference Finals appearance and lost before the Conference Finals round every other time.

Dwane Casey, Piston — Jan 11, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey calls to his team in the second half of a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allison Farrand-Imagn Images | Allison Farrand-Imagn Images

After the 2018 NBA Playoffs, Casey was let go by the Raptors. They ended up making a key roster change, which helped contribute to a surprising championship run one year removed from the Casey era.

When Casey became available in 2018, he was hired by the Pistons. For four seasons, Casey coached through a rebuild. His Pistons didn’t make the playoffs once. After the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Pistons parted ways with Casey as the coach, allowing him to step into a front office role.

Although the Pistons made major changes in the front office last season, Casey remained in Trajan Langdon’s circle. Will he stay much longer? It all depends on where the Raptors take their search.

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