The Detroit Pistons are still working to add more pieces to their front office this offseason. According to the latest reports, though, the Pistons are interested in adding Dallas Mavericks senior adviser Dennis Lindsey to their front office, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Lindsey was originally a finalist for Detroit's President of Basketball Operations opening. He met and interviewed with team owner Tom Gores for the position before they chose to hire Trajan Langdon. Even after choosing the former General Manager for the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pistons' front office is still working on how to lure Lindsey from the Mavericks.
Dallas recently agreed to a contract extension with General Manager Nico Harrison. With Lindsey in search of a bigger front office role, that could spark the move to a place in need of help like Detroit.
Outside of his time as an adviser with Dallas, Lindsey worked in the Utah Jazz front office for a decade. When Dannay Ainge was hired to lead the Jazz, Lindsey later on stepped down from his role.
Lindsey does have a credible track record after helping assemble playoff-credible talent. Utah became a perennial playoff team during his tenure. That roster featured star talent which included Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, who won Defensive Player of the Year three times with the team. Lindsey did a good job of surrounding the foundation pieces with complimentary talent like Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles.
There was also controversy surrounding around Lindsey back in 2015 with former Jazz guard Elijah Millsap. Millsap opened up in 2021 about an exit interview exchange where Lindsey said to him “If you say one more word, I’ll cut your Black ass and send you back to Louisiana.” Lindsey denied the claim and no proof was provided after the allegations came out.
Pistons coaching evaluation
Stein also reported that Langdon is currently evaluating head coach Monty Williams and his coaching staff. Williams had a disappointing debut in Detroit after leading the Pistons to an NBA-worst and an all-time franchise worst record 14-68 season in 2023-24. Expectations pointed to hopes of Williams being able to help grow Detroit's young talent and teach them winning ways.
Williams had been criticized for many puzzling decisions that led to the team's struggles. He originally started Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey for about half of the season. There were also many questions about his substitutions which regularly featured all bench lineups with no staggered minutes for starters.
While Williams may have been dealt a tough hand with a very inexperienced roster, he did not make things easier with his coaching moves. Sitting players like Marvin Bagley as he was breaking out on both sides of the floor for Isaiah Livers and James Wiseman came off as odd.
Williams agreed to a six-year, $80 million deal to become the Pistons' head coach last offseason. That contract made him the highest-paid coach in the NBA. Regardless of those terms, Langdon has been evaluating the coaching staff and their future with the Pistons.
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