1937–1957: Fort Wayne (Zollner) Pistons Fred Zollner owned the Zollner Corporation, a
foundry that manufactured
pistons, primarily for car, truck, and locomotive engines in
Fort Wayne, Indiana. In addition to the basketball
works team, Zollner also hosted a championship 12 inch, fast-pitch
softball team, with players from both the softball and basketball teams being employed in the Zollner Corporation. In 1941, the Zollner Pistons shed their works team roots and joined the
National Basketball League (NBL) after competing in the
1941 World Professional Basketball Tournament as an independent team. In 1948, the team became the Fort Wayne Pistons and jumped to the
Basketball Association of America (BAA). There are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with
gamblers to
shave points and
throw various games during the
1953–54 and
1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the
1955 NBA Finals to the
Syracuse Nationals. In the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led 41–24 early in the second quarter before the Nationals rallied to win the game. The Nationals won on a free throw by
George King with 12 seconds left in the game.
1957–1981: Move to Detroit; decades of struggles joined the team in 1966, scoring 1,601 points in his rookie year. Though the Pistons enjoyed a solid local following, Fort Wayne's small size made it difficult for them to be profitable, especially as other early NBA teams based in smaller cities started folding or moving to larger markets. Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade. They lost the Detroit Eagles due to
World War II, both the
Detroit Gems of the NBL (who became the
Minneapolis Lakers) and the
Detroit Falcons of the
BAA in 1947, and the Detroit Vagabond Kings in 1949. The Pistons played in
Olympia Stadium (home of the
Detroit Red Wings of the
National Hockey League (NHL) at the time) for their first four seasons, then moved to
Cobo Arena beginning in the
1961–62 season. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Pistons were characterized by talented players including George Yardley,
Bailey Howell,
Dave Debusschere,
Dave Bing, and
Bob Lanier, questionable trades, and frequent coaching changes. At one point, DeBusschere was the youngest
player-coach in the history of the NBA. Howell would go to win two championships as a member of the
Boston Celtics. Yardley, Lanier, and Bing all ended their Pistons tenure being traded away, frustrated with the direction and opportunities with Detroit. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to glass magnate
Bill Davidson, who remained the team's principal owner until his death in 2009. The team had a winning season in
1971, having spent the 1960s below .500, and then had a brief period of sustained success in the mid-1970s, qualifying for the playoffs in four straight seasons (
1974,
1975,
1976 and
1977). Hope was then placed in
Dick Vitale in
1978, the former head coach at the
University of Detroit, but he was fired the following season, and the team limped into the 1980s with a 16–66 record in
1979–80. The 1979–80 team lost its last 14 games of the season which, when coupled with the seven losses at the start of the
1980–81 season, constituted a then-NBA record
losing streak of 21 games. Over time, Davidson became displeased with Cobo Arena, but opted not to follow the Red Wings to the under-construction
Joe Louis Arena next door. Instead, in 1978, he moved the team to the suburb of
Pontiac, where they played in the 82,000 capacity
Silverdome, a structure built for professional
football (and the home of the
Detroit Lions at the time).
1981–1994: The Isiah Thomas era The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when they drafted
point guard Isiah Thomas from
Indiana University. They later acquired center
Bill Laimbeer in a trade with the
Cleveland Cavaliers in February 1982. Another key move by the Pistons was the hiring of head coach
Chuck Daly in 1983. Initially, the Pistons had difficulty moving up the NBA ladder. In
1984, the Pistons lost a tough five-game series to the underdog
New York Knicks, 3–2. In the
1985 playoffs, Detroit won its first-round series and faced the defending champion
Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Though Boston prevailed in six games, Detroit's surprise performance promised that a rivalry had begun. They also acquired
Rick Mahorn in a trade with the
Washington Bullets. However, the team took a step backwards, losing in the first round of the
1986 playoffs to the more athletic
Atlanta Hawks. After the series, changes were made in order to make the team more defensive-minded. The team adopted a physical, defense-oriented style of play, which eventually earned them the nickname "Bad Boys". In 1987, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the
Celtics. After pushing the defending champions to a 2–2 tie, the Pistons were on the verge of winning Game 5 at the
Boston Garden with seconds remaining. After a Celtics turnover, Isiah Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball and missed Chuck Daly's timeout signal from the bench.
Larry Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to
Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. In the
postseason, the Pistons avenged their two previous playoff losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating them in six games and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Detroit. However, the Lakers won the game, 103–102, on a pair of last-second free throws by Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer, referred to by many as a "phantom foul". With Thomas unable to compete at full strength, the Pistons narrowly fell in Game 7, 108–105, as the Lakers became the first back-to-back NBA Champions since the
1969 Boston Celtics. , NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991 Prior to the
1988–89 season, the Pistons moved to
Auburn Hills to play at
The Palace of Auburn Hills, the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds. The
1989 Pistons completed the building of their roster by trading Adrian Dantley for
Mark Aguirre, a trade that Pistons fans criticized heavily initially, but later praised. The team won 63 games, shattering their one-year-old franchise record, and steamrolled through the
playoffs and into an
NBA Finals rematch with the
Lakers. This time, the Pistons came out victorious in a four-game sweep to win their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars was named
NBA Finals MVP. , 1990 NBA Finals MVP The Pistons successfully defended their title in 1990, despite losing Rick Mahorn to the
Minnesota Timberwolves in the expansion draft. After winning 59 games and a third straight division title, the Pistons cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs before playing a tough Eastern Conference Finals series against
Michael Jordan,
Scottie Pippen, and the
Chicago Bulls. Facing each other for the third straight season, the Pistons and Bulls split the first six games before the Pistons finished the series with a decisive 93–74 victory in Game 7. Advancing to their third consecutive
NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the
Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons won all three games in Portland, becoming the first NBA team to sweep the middle three games on the road. The decisive game came down to the final second. Trailing 90–83 with two minutes remaining, the Pistons rallied to tie the game, then took a 92–90 lead when Vinnie Johnson sank a 15-foot jumper with 00.7 seconds left in the game; this shot earned Johnson a new nickname in Detroit, "007", to go with his original, "The Microwave". Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP. The most critical injury during this time belonged to Isiah Thomas, who had suffered a wrist injury a few months prior to the
NBA playoffs. The Conference Finals is best remembered for the Pistons walking off the court in the last game just before it ended, willingly letting the final seconds tick away, unwilling to shake hands with the Bulls. After the series, Michael Jordan said, "You see two different styles with us and them. The dirty play and the flagrant fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. Hopefully, that will be eliminated from the game. I think we play clean basketball. We don't go out and try to hurt people and dirty up the game. You never lose respect for the champions. But I haven't agreed with the methods they used. I think people are happy the game will get back to a clean game [with a Bulls triumph] and away from the 'Bad Boy' image." It was later revealed that the real reason the Pistons walked off the court without shaking hands with the Bulls was due to comments said by Jordan in a pre-game interview before Game 4, where he said, "The Pistons are undeserving champions. The Bad Boys are bad for basketball." After getting swept by the Bulls, the Pistons traded James Edwards and waived Vinnie Johnson during the off-season. In the
1991–92 season, the Pistons finished with a 48–34 record. In the first round of the
1992 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were defeated by the
New York Knicks in five games. Chuck Daly resigned as head coach after the season. Following Daly's departure, the Pistons went through a transitional period, as key players were either traded (Salley and Rodman) or retired (Laimbeer in 1993 and Thomas in 1994). They bottomed out in the
1993–94 season, finishing with a 20–62 record. However, this period also saw the team make numerous questionable personnel decisions, such as the loss of
free agent Allan Houston to the
New York Knicks, the signing of free agent washouts
Loy Vaught and
Bison Dele; and head coaching changes from
Ron Rothstein to
Don Chaney to
Doug Collins to
Alvin Gentry to
George Irvine in an eight-year span. Of these coaches, only Collins had any sort of success with the Pistons, winning 54 games in the
1996–97 season. The only color that did not change was
white. He quickly faced what appeared to be a setback for the franchise, as Grant Hill elected to leave for the
Orlando Magic. However, Dumars worked a
sign and trade with Orlando that brought the Pistons
Ben Wallace and
Chucky Atkins in exchange for Hill. Both quickly entered the Pistons' starting lineup. Wallace in particular developed into a defensive stalwart in the coming years. However, Hill played only 47 games in the following three seasons due to a recurring ankle injury. After the season, the Pistons fired George Irvine as head coach and hired
Rick Carlisle, a widely respected assistant coach who had been a contributor for the
Celtics during the mid-1980s. The franchise also returned to its traditional red, white, and blue colors. They lost, however, to the
Boston Celtics in five games.
2003–2008: Six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals In the 2002 off-season, Joe Dumars revamped the roster by signing free agent
Chauncey Billups, acquiring
Richard "Rip" Hamilton from the
Washington Wizards, and drafting
Tayshaun Prince from
Kentucky. The Pistons posted consecutive 50-win seasons and advanced to the
2003 Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1991. There, however, they were swept in four games by the
New Jersey Nets. Despite the team's improvement, Rick Carlisle was fired in the 2003 off-season. There were believed to be five reasons for the firing: first, that Carlisle had appeared reluctant to play some of the team's younger players, such as Prince and
Mehmet Okur, during the regular season; second, that some of the players had not gotten along with Carlisle; third, that Carlisle's offense was thought to be conservative; fourth, that
Hall of Famer Larry Brown had become available; and fifth, that Carlisle was rumored to have alienated owner Bill Davidson with his personality. Brown accepted the job that summer. File:Pistons starting 5.jpg|250px|thumb|left|The starting five of the Pistons' 2004 championship team. (Left-to right:
Richard Hamilton,
Ben Wallace,
Rasheed Wallace,
Chauncey Billups, and
Tayshaun Prince). rect 1492 308 1895 917
Chauncey Billups rect 1962 107 2437 934
Tayshaun Prince rect 67 328 392 1000
Richard Hamilton poly 766 1002 756 654 1182 210 1300 211 1484 662 1475 1001
Rasheed Wallace rect 424 357 628 999
Ben Wallace default none
Pistons' Starting five (2004). desc bottom-left for the team's victory in the
2004 NBA Finals. The Pistons' transformation into a championship team was completed with the February 2004 acquisition of
Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons now had another big man to pose a threat from all parts of the court. The
Pistons finished the
season 54–28, recording their best record since 1997. Many analysts gave the Pistons little chance to win against their opponent, the
Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three out of the previous four NBA championships and who fielded a star-studded lineup that included
Shaquille O'Neal,
Kobe Bryant,
Gary Payton, and
Karl Malone. However, the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion, defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team's third NBA championship. The Pistons posted double-digit wins in three of their four victories and held the Lakers to a franchise-low 68 points in Game 3. Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. They won 54 games during the
regular season, their fourth consecutive season of 50 or more wins. During the
2005 playoffs, they easily defeated the
Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 and then rallied from a 2–1 deficit to finish off the
Indiana Pacers, 4–2. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the
Miami Heat. Once again, the Pistons fell behind. However, they ultimately won the series in seven games. In the
NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the
San Antonio Spurs. After the teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point came at the end of Game 5 in Detroit, which went into overtime. The Pistons were ahead 95–93 when
Robert Horry sank the game-winning three-point basket for the Spurs with 5.8 seconds left in the extra session. The Pistons fought back to win Game 6 in San Antonio, setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 1994. The Pistons then lost a hard-fought, low-scoring game to the Spurs, who won their third NBA championship since 1999. The Pistons' 2004–05 season was marked by a major controversy, as well as distracting issues involving Larry Brown. In the first month of the season, the infamous
Malice at the Palace erupted between the Pacers and the Pistons, one of the
largest fan-player incidents in the history of American sports. Brown was promptly named head coach of the New York Knicks, while the Pistons hired
Flip Saunders, formerly of the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the
2005–06 season, the Pistons recorded the NBA's best overall record. Their 37–5 start exceeded the best start for any Detroit sports franchise in history and tied for the fourth-best start through 42 games in NBA history. Four of the five Pistons starters (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace) were named to the All-Star team, and Flip Saunders served as the Eastern Conference All-Star team coach. The Pistons finished the regular season with a record of 64–18, setting new franchise records for both overall and road victories (27). In addition, the team set an NBA record by starting the same lineup in 73 consecutive games from the start of the season. Things did not improve against the second-seeded
Miami Heat in the
Eastern Conference Finals. Miami defeated the Pistons in six games en route to the
2006 NBA championship. During the off-season, the Pistons offered Ben Wallace a four-year, $48 million contract, which would have made him the highest-paid player in franchise history at the time. However, Wallace agreed to a 4-year, $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. To replace Ben Wallace, the Pistons signed
Nazr Mohammed. He struggled to fill the team's void at center, however, and the team began looking for additional help. The Pistons quickly began playing better basketball. They were only 21–15 before Webber was acquired; with him, the team went 32–14. On April 11, the Pistons clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, which guaranteed them home-court advantage for first three rounds of the playoffs. The Pistons opened the
2007 NBA playoffs with a 4–0 victory over the
Orlando Magic, their first playoff series sweep since 1990. The team advanced to face the
Chicago Bulls, marking the first time that the Central Division rivals had met in the postseason since 1991. After winning the first two games by 26 and 21 points, the Pistons overcame a 19-point deficit to win Game 3, 81–74. The Bulls avoided elimination by winning Games 4 and 5, but the Pistons closed out the series, 95–85, in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons faced the
Cleveland Cavaliers. After both teams split the first four games of the series, the turning point happened in Game 5. The game is best remembered for
LeBron James' performance where he scored the Cavaliers' final 29 of 30 points, including the team's final 25 points, to help defeat the Pistons 109–107 in double overtime. The Pistons never recovered as they were eliminated in Game 6, 98–82. In the
2007 NBA draft, the Pistons selected
Rodney Stuckey with the 15th overall pick and
Arron Afflalo with the 27th overall pick. They also re-signed Chauncey Billups to a long-term contract, as well as top prospect
Amir Johnson and key reserve
Antonio McDyess. This season marked the 50th anniversary of the franchise in Detroit. At the start of the
2007–08 season, Rasheed Wallace became the Pistons' new center. Upon entering his third season, Saunders became the longest-tenured Pistons coach since Chuck Daly. Detroit finished the season with the second-best record in the league at 59–23. The
Boston Celtics held the first seed, and many speculated that Boston was their main competition in the Eastern Conference. In the
2008 NBA playoffs, Detroit started out poorly with a Game 1 loss to the seventh-seeded
Philadelphia 76ers and found themselves in a 2–1 deficit. However, the Pistons rallied to defeat the Sixers in six games. In the semifinals, the Pistons faced the
Orlando Magic. The Pistons rolled out to a Game 1 romp, and won a tight Game 2 amid mild controversy. At the very end of the third quarter, Chauncey Billups hit a three-point field goal that gave the Pistons a three-point lead. However, the clock had stopped shortly into the play. League rules currently prohibit officials from using both instant replay and a timing device to measure how much time has elapsed when a clock malfunctions, nor is a replay from the time of the malfunction onward allowed. The officials estimated that the play took 4.6 seconds, and since there were 5.1 seconds remaining when it began, the field goal was counted. The NBA later admitted that the play actually took 5.7 seconds and the basket should not have counted. In addition to losing Game 3 badly, 111–86, the Pistons also lost all-star point guard and team leader Chauncey Billups to a hamstring injury. Despite his absence, the Pistons rallied from 15 down in the third quarter to win Game 4 90–89 on a field goal by Tayshaun Prince with just 8.9 seconds to play, taking a 3–1 series lead. Again with Billups sitting on the sideline, they then proceeded to win Game 5 in Detroit, winning the series 4–1. Detroit advanced to the
Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season, squaring off against the Celtics. This put the Pistons second on the all-time list of most consecutive conference finals appearances, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers, who appeared in eight straight conference finals from the 1981–82 to 1988–89 seasons. They lost Game 1 88–79, but won in Game 2 on the road, 103–97, marking the Celtics' first home court loss in the postseason. Immediately following that, the Celtics won their first road game of the postseason, 94–80, in Game 3. Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94–75. In the pivotal Game 5 they lost 106–102, despite rallying from 17 points down late in the game. In Game 6, the Pistons entered the fourth quarter leading 70–60, but a lack of focus, a poor game from Rasheed Wallace, and a rally-killing turnover by Tayshaun Prince ultimately led to their demise; the Pistons ended their season with an 89–81 loss. In what would ultimately be a bellwether moment in the franchise's history, Wallace refused to take any post-game questions, simply walking back to the locker room afterwards, aware that Joe Dumars would likely start dismantling the team, saying only, "It's over, man." The Celtics went on to win the
2008 NBA Finals. On June 3, 2008, the Pistons announced that Saunders would not return as head coach.
2008–2011: Failed rebuilding On June 10, 2008, the Pistons hired
Michael Curry to be their new head coach. On November 3, 2008, the Pistons traded key members Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to the
Denver Nuggets for
Allen Iverson. McDyess was later waived on November 10 and rejoined the Pistons on December 9. The trade was marked as the start of a new rebuilding process due to Iverson's free agent status at the end of the season. The season was marked with many controversies and injuries. As a result of this and poor play, the Pistons dropped down the standings, only clinching a playoff berth on April 10, 2009. The Pistons finished the season at 39–43, their first losing season in eight years. The Pistons were then swept by the
Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the first round of the
2009 NBA playoffs. On June 30, 2009, Curry was fired as head coach. Iverson signed with the
Memphis Grizzlies during the off-season. In the off-season, the Pistons reached an agreement with former Chicago Bulls guard
Ben Gordon on a five-year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with former
Milwaukee Bucks forward
Charlie Villanueva on a five-year contract worth $35 million. That same month, the Pistons lost their two key members during the last few years, veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. On July 8, 2009, the Pistons hired former Cavaliers assistant coach
John Kuester to be the new head coach. The Pistons later re-signed Ben Wallace on August 12, 2009. Despite these changes, the team regressed even further, as they were hampered by setbacks and injuries. On March 23, 2010, the Pistons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the
Indiana Pacers. The Pistons finished with a 27–55 record, their worst since 1994. Another 50-loss season, this time finishing at 30–52, led to the firing of Kuester at the end of the 2010–11 season; he had gotten into several disputes with the players, culminating with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 25, 2011, where it was reported several players staged a protest that morning during shootaround; Kuester responded by benching all those involved, and the animosity was so high that some of the benched players could be seen laughing in response to his ejection from the game late in the first half.
2011–2015: New ownership; more struggling was selected by the Pistons with the ninth overall pick in the
2012 NBA draft. On April 7, 2011, Karen Davidson, the widow of the late Bill Davidson, reached a long-awaited agreement to sell the franchise to billionaire
Tom Gores, which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in May. The deal also included The Palace of Auburn Hills and
DTE Energy Music Theatre. According to ''
Crain's Detroit Business'', the final sale price was $325 million, far lower than expected. In the
2011 NBA draft, the Pistons selected
Brandon Knight,
Kyle Singler and
Vernon Macklin. Prior to the start of the
2011–12 season, the Pistons made several leadership changes, including appointing
Dennis Mannion as president of the franchise and
Palace Sports & Entertainment. The team decided to hire
Lawrence Frank as the head coach. The 2011–12 season was an improvement from previous years for the Pistons, although they still posted a losing record. While they started the season 4–20, they won half their remaining games to finish a
lockout-shortened season with a record of 25–41. The team continued to build its young core with the drafting of the talented center
Andre Drummond. Following the
2012–13 season, Frank was fired as head coach on April 18, 2013, after two losing seasons, and on June 10, 2013, the Pistons hired former player and coach
Maurice Cheeks. His tenure lasted for just a bit more than half a season, as he was replaced by interim coach
John Loyer. In April, the Pistons announced that Joe Dumars would step down as president of basketball operations but remain as an advisor to the organization and its ownership team. On May 14, 2014,
Stan Van Gundy was hired. Van Gundy signed a 5-year, $35 million contract to become the head coach and president of basketball operations for the team. After starting the
2014–15 season with a 5–23 record, the Pistons waived
Josh Smith, who was acquired in the summer of 2013. The team went on a lengthy winning streak, but finished the season with a record of only 32–50 after
Brandon Jennings' Achilles injury.
2015–2017: Return to the playoffs In the 2015 off-season, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy began to change the roster by making such acquisitions as
Ersan İlyasova,
Marcus Morris,
Aron Baynes, and
Steve Blake. They also drafted rookie
Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick in the
2015 NBA draft and re-signed point guard
Reggie Jackson. The Pistons entered the
2015–16 season with a stronger roster than the previous season, although they lost starter
Greg Monroe to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. Andre Drummond started the season strong, earning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards for the weeks of November 1 and 8. The Pistons entered the All-Star break at 27–27. The Pistons surpassed their win totals from the
2009–10 season to the
2014–15 season on March 9, 2016, when they defeated the
Dallas Mavericks 102–96. On April 6, 2016, following a 108–104 win over the
Orlando Magic, the Pistons reached 42 wins and were assured their first winning season since the
2007–08 season. On April 8, 2016, the Pistons defeated the
Washington Wizards 112–99 and clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. The eighth-seeded Pistons faced the top-seeded
Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the
2016 NBA playoffs. They were swept in four tight games.
2017–2020: Returning to downtown Detroit The Pistons had played in suburban
Oakland County, north of Detroit/
Wayne County, since the
1978–79 season, including ten seasons at the Pontiac Silverdome and the rest at The Palace of Auburn Hills. In the summer of 2015, discussions about a partnership began between Pistons owner Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman
Arn Tellum, and
Olympia Entertainment, the
Ilitch family's holding company that controls the Red Wings and
Tigers. The discussions involved a possible move to the new
Little Caesars Arena as soon as the 2017–18 season. Talks intensified as the Pistons were set to open their 2016–17 season, and as part of the agreement, there was discussion of a merger between Olympia and PS&E. The Pistons were looking for land near the arena to build a new practice facility and team headquarters. The leasing agreement/partnership needed both city and league approval to be finalized. On November 22, 2016, the Pistons announced their plan to move to Little Caesars Arena and to redevelop, possibly demolish, and sell The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons were the last NBA franchise to play in a suburban location when they ended their 39-year stay in Oakland County. On June 20, 2017, Detroit City Council approved the Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena. On August 3, 2017, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which made it official. The move made Detroit the only U.S. city to have its
Major League Baseball (MLB),
National Football League (NFL), NBA, and NHL teams playing in its downtown district, and one of only two U.S. cities to have all their teams playing in one place, the other being
Philadelphia. On January 29, 2018, the Pistons announced they had acquired all-star forward
Blake Griffin along with
Willie Reed and
Brice Johnson from the
Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for
Avery Bradley,
Tobias Harris,
Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round draft pick, and a 2019 second-round draft pick. The Pistons finished the
2017–18 season with a 39–43 record. They missed the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years. On May 7, 2018, the Pistons announced that Stan Van Gundy would not return as head coach and president of basketball operations. On June 11, 2018,
Dwane Casey was hired by the Pistons to be their new head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal. The Pistons finished the
2018–19 season with a 41–41 record, clinching a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the
2019 NBA playoffs, the Pistons were swept in four games by the
Milwaukee Bucks, setting an NBA record for the most consecutive playoff losses with 14. On March 11, 2020, the
2019–20 season was
suspended by the NBA after it was reported that
Rudy Gobert tested positive for
COVID-19. On June 4, 2020, the season came to an end for the Pistons when the NBA Board of Governors approved a plan that would restart the season with 22 teams returning to play in the
NBA bubble on July 31, 2020, which was approved by the
National Basketball Players Association the next day. The Pistons finished the season with a 20–46 record.
2020–2024: Continued struggles; historic losing streak was selected first overall in the
2021 NBA draft. On June 18, 2020, the Pistons hired
Troy Weaver as the new general manager. The Pistons finished the
2020–21 season with the second-worst record in the league at 20–52, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The 20 wins were also tied for the second-fewest in franchise history at the time. In the
2021 NBA draft, the Pistons selected
Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick. The Pistons finished the
2021–22 season at 23–59, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. With the fifth overall pick in the
2022 NBA draft, the Pistons selected
Jaden Ivey. Later in the first round, the Pistons acquired
Jalen Duren via a trade with the
New York Knicks. The Pistons finished the
2022–23 season with the worst overall record in NBA and third-worst in franchise history at 17–65. It was their first 60-loss season since 1993–94. After the last game of the season on April 9, 2023, Dwane Casey stepped down as head coach to join the front office. After the Pistons started the
2023–24 season with a 2–1 record, they lost a franchise-record 28 games in a row from October 30 to December 30, the longest single-season losing streak and tied for the longest losing streak overall in NBA history. They became the thirteenth team in NBA history to have a winless month, going 0–15 in November. On March 9, 2024, the Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth consecutive season. The Pistons finished with the worst overall record in the NBA for the second consecutive season and worst in franchise history at 14–68.
2024–present: Historic turnaround On May 31, 2024, the Pistons hired
Trajan Langdon as President of Basketball Operations. The following day, the Pistons announced that Troy Weaver had stepped down as general manager. On June 19, 2024, Monty Williams was fired as head coach. On July 3, 2024, the Pistons hired
J. B. Bickerstaff as head coach. On January 1, 2025, following a win over the
Orlando Magic, the Pistons surpassed the previous season's win total. On March 28, the Pistons secured their first winning season since 2016. They also became the second team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous season, joining the
2012–13 Charlotte Bobcats, and the first to do so from the previous full season. On April 4, the Pistons clinched
a playoff spot for the first time since 2019 with a 117–105 win over the
Toronto Raptors. The Pistons finished the
2024–25 season at 44–38, their best record since 2016. On April 21, the Pistons snapped their NBA-record, 15-game postseason losing streak by beating the
New York Knicks 100–94 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. The Pistons were ultimately defeated by the Knicks in six games. During the
2025–26 season, the Pistons tied a franchise record by winning 13 consecutive games. On March 19, 2026, the Pistons secured their first 50-win season since 2007–08. The next day, the Pistons clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. On March 31, the Pistons won the Central Division title for the first time since 2008. On April 4, the Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2007. The Pistons finished the regular season with the third-best record in franchise history at 60–22, their first 60-win season since 2005–06. They became the first team in NBA history to win 60 games after losing 60 games two seasons prior. On April 22, the Pistons snapped their NBA-record, 11-game home postseason losing streak by beating the
Orlando Magic 98–83 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. ==Media coverage==