Once Stan Van Gundy began a culture turnover of the Detroit Pistons, one of his first targeted acquisitions became Joel Anthony. For nearly seven seasons with the Miami Heat, Anthony was a fabric of the franchise’s system and provided rebounding and defense as a reserve on two NBA championship teams.

Van Gundy hired players he coached in Miami and Orlando, Tim Hardaway Sr., Quentin Richardson and Malik Allen, and traded for another member of the Heat’s old culture in Anthony, a complete shift of climate for an organization that had a 14-year run under Joe Dumars.

Anthony will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, potentially a consecutive year out of the NBA playoffs for a veteran who had three straight runs to the Finals with the Heat. Even so, Anthony, 32, has made clear to Van Gundy his desire to remain part of the new regime, aiming to re-sign with the Pistons and be a member of a roster that thrives again in Detroit.

“I love the idea of being here, staying here moving forward and having a chance to help them turn this franchise around,” Anthony told RealGM. “Stan has been very adamant about wanting to change the culture, so to be part of that … I don’t want to say it’s more special than playing on a contending team that could win it all, but it would be very satisfying and gratifying to be part of a situation where you’re able to turn things around.

“Obviously, it’s great being on a contending team, because you’re winning and things are going well. But it’s more about being in situations where I feel like I could help. This a situation where I can help, where they want me, Detroit wanting to bring me in. Winning-wise, we’re not there yet, but the fact that we can built it into something like that, it’s something I’m excited to be a part of.”

The Heat traded Anthony before the trade deadline a season ago, a transaction that neither LeBron James nor Dwyane Wade endorsed publicly and privately.

“I had caught wind that a trade was a possibility,” Anthony said. “So when it happened, even though you knew it was a possibility, it still caught me by surprise just because you’re so close to the team, the organization and the city. It’s tough having played somewhere your entire career, the amount of time I had over there and all the memories. Obviously, Miami has always been home for me. I still have my place there in the offseason.”