Interesting favorite emerges for Pistons head coach job

Speed finger painter, Jarred Emerson, unveils the new Detroit Pistons logo on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at Campus Martius Park in Detroit. Mandatory Credit: Elaine Cromie, Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Pistons made the somewhat surprising decision to fire head coach Monty Williams on Wednesday, and the move could have a wide-reaching impact.

Shortly after the news surfaced that the Pistons have parted ways with Williams, a report claimed the team has strong interest in New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego. However, a far more interesting candidate was viewed as the favorite to be named the next head coach in Detroit as of Thursday.

According to odds from BetOnling.ag and several other sportsbooks, JJ Redick is the favorite to land the Pistons job at 4/1. Borrego is just behind him at 5/1.

JJ Redick is now the betting favorite to be the next head coach of the Detroit Pistons, per @BetOnline_ag

This sure is getting interesting pic.twitter.com/PYp9MRObQZ

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 20, 2024

Redick has a history with new Pistons lead executive Trajan Langdon. The two went to Duke University and were together on the New Orleans Pelicans from 2019-21 (when Redick was a player in New Orleans and Langdon was the team’s general manager). A report on Wednesday also claimed Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem is a known Redick fan.

There has been talk for weeks that the Los Angeles Lakers plan to hire Reddick as their head coach. Following a failed pursuit of UConn’s Dan Hurley, many have assumed it is only a matter of time before Reddick gets the job. Reddick had been working as an analyst for ESPN, but the NBA Finals are now offer and there has been no announcement from the Lakers.

Some have wondered if the Lakers could pivot to a new candidate at this point in their search. It is not out of the question that Redick will be the one that changes course, though it still seems unlikely.