Haynes: Pistons Eye Heat's Chris Quinn for HC Interview amid Ime Udoka Rumors

The Detroit Pistons plan to request permission to interview Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn as part of their coaching search, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

The Athletic's Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III reported Friday the Pistons will interview former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN also reported Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee will be interviewed and "is considered one of the significant candidates in the Pistons' search."

Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is reportedly a candidate as well, but Detroit hasn't lined up an interview with the 45-year-old yet.

Quinn is in his ninth season on Miami's staff. He started as a player development coach in 2014-15 and steadily worked his way up the bench. On two different occasions last year, he replaced Erik Spoelstra when the head coach was unavailable.

In May 2022, ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz included Quinn when highlighting NBA assistants who were on the way up:

"Ask Heat insiders who most embodies the team's culture, and Quinn is commonly the answer (one league source affectionately referred to Quinn as Spoelstra's 'mini-me' for his temperament and organizational skills). He's an emotionally stable leader who inspires confidence in players, as revealed when he filled in for Spoelstra as head coach for a stint in March and April. Quinn received his first interview for a head-coach job with Indiana in 2020, while Washington gave him a look in 2021."

It's probably only a matter of time before Quinn is a head coach somewhere, but he's young enough that he can still be selective. If the 39-year-old doesn't like what's on offer this offseason, then he can wait and see how the landscape looks next summer.

The Pistons haven't enjoyed a ton of recent success, reaching the playoffs just twice since 2009. The franchise had a .315 winning percentage in Dwane Casey's five years on the sideline.

But a promising core of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren and perhaps James Wiseman—he can be a restricted free agent in 2024—raises some hope for the future.

Detroit also has the best odds (14 percent) along with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets of winning the 2023 NBA draft lottery and thus getting the opportunity to land French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

For somebody such as Quinn embarking on his first head coaching job, the Pistons would represent a nice challenge and a situation where he'd be afforded plenty of patience.