NBA Rumors: Dwane Casey to Be a 'Primary Target' of Pistons' Head Coach Search

Dwane Casey helped lead the Toronto Raptors to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, after falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the second round, he was fired.

Now, the Detroit Pistons reportedly have interest, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Casey is "a primary target" in Detroit's search.

Wojnarowski also reported the Pistons hired Memphis Grizzlies executive Ed Stefanski as a senior adviser, and he'll oversee the hiring of a coach and general manager.

Casey was named a finalist for the NBA's Coach of the Year award alongside Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics and Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz after leading Toronto to a 59-23 record, the best mark of his seven seasons as the head coach.

He won the 2018 Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award, which "recognizes the dedication, commitment and hard work of NBA head coaches," according to NBA.com.

His defensive schemes allowed the Raptors to finish with the league's fifth-best defensive rating during the regular season, per NBA.com, but the offensive overhaul stood out most.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer wrote that "Casey successfully overhauled Toronto's system to improve ball movement and shot selection. DeMar DeRozan started shooting more threes and playmaking, and as a result, had a career-best season."

The result was an offense that was third in the league in offensive rating, per NBA.com, far ahead of a Detroit team that could use its own changes after finishing 19th.

The Pistons fired Stan Van Gundy after going 37-45 in 2016-17 and 39-43 this season, but there is reason for optimism. The trio of Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson gives whoever the next coach is playmakers to work with.