[1] During the off-season, the Pistons acquired Richard Hamilton from the Washington Wizards,[2][3][4] and signed free agent Chauncey Billups.
[5][6] With the acquisitions of Hamilton and Billups, the Pistons got off to a solid start winning 12 of their first 16 games, and held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break.
[13] In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Pistons faced elimination trailing 3–1 to the 8th-seeded Orlando Magic,[14][15] but managed to win the next three games, thus the series.
[28][29] Carlisle would go on to coach the Indiana Pacers as he replaced Isiah Thomas, who was fired after failing to reach the second round for three consecutive seasons in the playoffs.
[30] Also following the season, Robinson was traded to the Golden State Warriors,[31][32] while three-point specialist Jon Barry signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets,[33] and Michael Curry was dealt to the Toronto Raptors.