Pistons’ Jon Horst plan blocked by Bucks as Tim Connelly pursuit looms

As per the report, one of the Pistons’ main targets to fill the role of president is Tim Connelly. Connelly is currently the Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations; he is an enticing option for the Pistons seeing how he helped architect the Denver Nuggets’ current championship-contending roster as well as the Timberwolves outfit that is giving the same Nuggets team plenty of problems.

Connelly could opt out of the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves; this would then pave the way for the Pistons to ramp up their pursuit of him. According to Edwards and Charania, an offer of about $15 million per annum might be enough to snag the 48-year old executive.

Of course, the Timberwolves are in the early days of their era of contention. Connelly may very well want to see through what he was able to build in Minneapolis. But for the Pistons, it never hurts to dream big, especially in the aftermath of a nightmare-filled season that saw the Pistons set the record for the longest losing streak in a single season in NBA history.

Other “viable” candidates for the role, according to The Athletic, are New Orleans’ Trajan Langdon, Dallas’ Dennis Lindsey and Chicago’s Marc Eversley, among others.

Detroit basketball and the rebuild that never ends

When the Pistons brought in Troy Weaver and made him the general manager back in June 2020, they had hopes of bottoming out and recovering quickly after the 2010s saw nothing but continued mediocrity for the basketball team in the Motor City. Alas, under Weaver, it seems like things have only gotten worse for the once-proud franchise.

In four years of the Weaver era to this point, the Pistons have won just 74 out of 318 games. That is “good” for a winning percentage of 23.2. And it’s not like the Pistons’ putridity has resulted in the addition of some game-changing, blue-chip prospects.

In 2021, the Pistons won the first pick and selected Cade Cunningham to be the crown jewel of their rebuild. But that was the peak of their luck. The following year, they landed the fifth overall pick even though they finished with the third worst record in the NBA.

In 2023, the Pistons got worse. An early-season injury to Cunningham doomed them to a 17-win season, which was the worst in the NBA. The reward for their troubles? The fifth overall pick, knocking them out of the running for Victor Wembanyama. And then in the aftermath of their worst season in franchise history, the Pistons got, you guessed it, the fifth overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.

It’s not like the Pistons have not drafted good players. Cade Cunningham has shown flashes of brilliance. So has Jaden Ivey even though he had a bit of trouble earning the trust of head coach Monty Williams. Jalen Duren is a double-double machine. Ausar Thompson is a defensive beast. Marcus Sasser and Isaiah Stewart can be good role players. But the roster aside from those mentioned has a glaring lack of quality.

Under Troy Weaver, the Pistons tried to rehabilitate the careers of former lottery picks whose shines have worn off. That strategy, clearly, has not amounted to much. It will be interesting to see how the Pistons’ new president will maneuver, especially during a huge offseason where they have plenty of cap space to work with.