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Dwane Casey will remain with the Detroit Pistons rather than becoming the inaugural head coach of BC Roma SPQR, ending speculation about a move to Italy for the veteran NBA coach.

According to Marc Stein, Casey has withdrawn from the hiring process after receiving strong interest from the newly formed Serie A club. The 2018 NBA Coach of the Year will instead continue in his role as a senior adviser with the Pistons.

Stein reported that BC Roma’s pursuit of Casey was led by co-owner Donnie Nelson, who previously worked alongside him with the Dallas Mavericks. Casey served as an assistant coach on Dallas’ 2010-11 NBA championship staff, where Nelson was the franchise’s president of basketball operations.

Casey had emerged as one of the leading candidates to become the first head coach in BC Roma’s history. The expansion club has also evaluated several experienced European coaches as it prepares for its debut season in Italian basketball.

Founded in 2026 through the acquisition and relocation of Vanoli Cremona’s sporting license, BC Roma SPQR will compete in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroCup during the 2026-27 campaign. The ambitious project is led by Nelson and features an ownership group that includes NBA star Luka Doncic, former Lithuanian international Rimantas Kaukenas and legendary Italian coach Valerio Bianchini.

The organization has openly targeted long-term growth, including ambitions to become part of the proposed NBA Europe competition if the league expands onto the continent.

For Casey, remaining in Detroit extends his current front-office role after transitioning away from coaching in 2023. He served as the Pistons’ head coach from 2018 to 2023 before moving into a senior advisory position, where he has continued to assist the franchise’s basketball operations.

The 69-year-old brings more than two decades of NBA coaching experience. He compiled a 557-654 regular-season record as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and Pistons, but his greatest success came in Toronto.

During the 2017-18 season, Casey guided the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and the top seed in the Eastern Conference, earning NBA Coach of the Year honors. Despite that accomplishment, Toronto was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs and later replaced Casey with Nick Nurse.