J.B. Bickerstaff wasn’t out of a job for long.
The 45-year-old has agreed to a five-year deal to become the Pistons’ new head coach, according to ESPN.
Bickerstaff was fired by the Cavaliers last month after five seasons with the team despite leading them to back-to-back playoff appearances the past two years and a run to the Eastern Conference semifinals this past year — the farthest they had gone in six years.
The Pistons head-coaching job opened up after they fired Monty Williams earlier this month after just one season.
He had signed a six-year, $78.5 million deal last year, the largest ever contract for a coach in NBA history.
But they finished with a woeful 14-68 record last year — dead last in the Eastern Conference — and at one point had a 28-game losing streak, the longest single-season skid in NBA history.
Detroit still owes him $65 million.
But the team is on to a new chapter.
Bickerstaff originally took over the Cavaliers job as an interim during the 2019-20 season after Jon Beilein resigned, and he subsequently kept the job.
He recorded a 170-159 record with the Cavaliers and went 6-11 in the playoffs.
Cleveland replaced Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson.
The Pistons cleaned house after the season, firing general manager Troy Weaver in addition to Williams.
They hired Trajan Langdon as their new president of basketball operations in May, and he seemingly was impressed with Bickerstaff.
It’s been a busy few days for Langdon, who selected Ron Holland II with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
This job marks Bickerstaff’s fourth head-coaching job — he spent part of a season with the Rockets in 2015-16, where he had a 37-34 record, and two seasons with the Grizzlies from 2017-19, where he struggled to a 48-97 combined record.
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