NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Pistons, Knicks' Interest in Devin Booker, More

As the top 22 teams in the NBA prepare for the league's restart in Orlando, teams like the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are focused on preparing for the 2020-21 season. First on the to-do list for Detroit is revamping the front office.

The process began when Troy Weaver was hired as the Pistons' general manager on June 18. The longtime assistant GM and vice president of the Oklahoma City Thunder is going to have a few holes to fill.

Assistant general manager Malik Rose was recently named NBA vice president for basketball operations. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, assistant GM Pat Garrity will be the next to leave the organization:

With his contract up, Garrity's departure shouldn't come as a surprise. He was interviewed for the National Basketball  Players Association's executive director job earlier this year—the NBPA suspended its search due to the pandemic—and will likely find a new job in the near future.

Weaver, meanwhile, will look to put the pieces in place to bring the Pistons back to prominence.

"This isn't a rebuild—it's a restoring. There's been greatness here," Weaver said, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News. "The Motor City deserves a consistent winner back on the floor."

Weaver has a challenge in front of him. The Pistons have made the playoffs only twice in the past decade and sat with a 20-46 record when play was suspended. The last time they made it out of the first round was during the 2007-08 season.

The Knicks, Tom Thibodeau and Devin Booker

Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Knicks are also in the process of reshaping their front office. New vice president Leon Rose has conducted an extensive head-coaching search. Names like Mike Brown and Jason Kidd have been linked to the job, but Rose may be zeroing in on former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau.

"The thought around the league is still that this is Tom Thibodeau's job to lose," Shams Charania of Stadium recently reported:

If New York does hire Thibodeau, it could impact the team's offseason targets. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Thibodeau's addition could take Karl-Anthony Towns out of the trade picture and make Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker a prime target:

"Since Leon Rose was hired as president, the player to watch out for most is Suns combo guard Devin Booker, according to league sources. If Rose hires Tom Thibodeau, Towns — a former Rose client — no longer makes sense because of their history. Booker and Towns were Rose clients who played at Kentucky, which means Knicks adviser William Wesley is close to each. Rose has done well with Kentucky standouts because of Wesley."

Booker made his first All-Star appearance in 2020 and has averaged 26.1 points and 6.6 rebounds this season. He would undoubtedly be a fine addition for the rebuilding Knicks, but there's no clear indication that the Suns are looking to deal him.

Booker is under contract through the 2023-24 season.

Jacque Vaughn and the Nets Job

While the Brooklyn Nets will be part of the NBA's restart, they're also in the process of identifying a new head coach. Kenny Atkinson was fired just before play was suspended, and interim coach Jacque Vaughn will take Brooklyn into the postseason.

The Nets went 2-0 under Vaughn and sit with a 30-34 record.

According to The Athletic's Alex Schiffer, Vaughn will have a realistic shot at keeping the job:

"Multiple sources have told The Athletic that the Nets have every intention of giving Vaughn a true shot at getting the job," Schiffer wrote.

This meshes with what Wojnarowski recently said on The Woj Pod.

"He's the head coach," Wojnarowski said of Vaughn (h/t Ashish Mathur of Clutch Points). "They didn't make him interim coach. I think the Nets are considering the possibility of a search, but I would still give Jacque Vaughn—I would take Jacque Vaughn against the field right now."

While Brooklyn is one of the more underwhelming teams in the playoffs now, the Nets should have a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving next season. This means that if Vaughn does keep the job next season, he'll have one of the most coveted gigs in the NBA.