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Pistons extend Dwane Casey's contract with rebuild hopes in mind after brutal season

Despite a brutal season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons are committed to coach Dwane Casey.

The Pistons and Casey agreed to a contract extension on Wednesday that will keep him with the team through the 2023-24 season. Casey had two years left on his initial five-year deal before the extension.

"Dwane's ability to adapt and lead us through a challenging but very exciting year of growth and development has further established his place as one of the most highly respected coaches in the NBA," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement, via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. "He is fully committed to the restoration of the Pistons where his competitiveness, teaching ability and developmental acumen can be seen in the growth of our young players.

"I eagerly anticipate watching the future of this team and the upward trajectory of the franchise under his continued leadership as we strive to compete for championships."

Pistons ready for rebuild after awful season

The Pistons have just two games left in the regular season, and boast a conference-worst 20-50 record. Only the Houston Rockets have a worse record in the league with 16 wins to their name in the West.

Though it has been rough, the Pistons should finish in the bottom three of the standings and be in a great spot to land the top overall draft pick in the lottery. The franchise has ditched a lot of its old roster, including Blake Griffin, all while securing draft picks and young players. Only four guys on the current roster are older than 25, and they scooped up Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey all in the first round of last year’s draft, too.

Especially considering the likelihood of grabbing another top prospect, the Pistons are in a great position to successfully rebuild the franchise in the near future.

Casey has gone 81-137 with the Pistons, his first job after a seven-year stint with the Toronto Raptors, where he won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. The 64-year-old is the man the Pistons want to lead the team back to greatness.

Whether he can pull that off remains to be seen.

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