Apr 24, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy looks up during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons found success this season for the first time in six seasons as they finally made their way back to the playoffs. With that success, key members of the front office were undoubtedly going to get noticed. That’s exactly what happened as Ken Catanella is rumored to be heading to the Sacramento Kings.

Detroit Pistons’ fans may not know much, if any, about the team’s assistant general manager Ken Catanella, but he’s apparently getting recognition internally in the NBA as he’s likely headed to Sacramento.

Via Detroit Free Press:

It appears the Detroit Pistons are losing a key front executive. A person with firsthand knowledge of the situation told the Free Press this evening that Pistons assistant general manager Ken Catanella is likely headed to the Sacramento Kings. The news isn’t final, but it appears that the Pistons are losing the man in charge of the organization’s analytics efforts. Catanella was hired as director of basketball operations in 2011 by ex-team president Joe Dumars. He was retained as assistant general manager when president/coach Stan Van Gundy was hired in May 2014. The ownership group thinks highly of Catanella, viewing him as someone capable of running his own show.

I can’t speak to what Catanella has had a hand in personally, but his strong background in analytics, along with the Pistons ability to put together a strong team with what could be considered misfit parts (Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris), for almost nothing has to be something that enticed the Kings.

The fact that Catanella was retained by Stan Van Gundy when he took over for the Pistons’ speaks to Catanella’s knowledge.

This isn’t a big deal on the surface, but when a team loses front office personnel to another, it speaks to the growth and skills of the organization.

Such is the case with the Pistons and Catanella.