Celtics assistant among Lakers coach’s top targets: Report originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics hired two highly qualified and experienced assistant coaches this past offseason. There’s a chance they could lose both this summer.
Celtics assistant Sam Cassell is one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ three “top early targets” in their head coaching search, along with former NBA player JJ Redick and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego, Atlético’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
A three-time NBA champion as a member of the Celtics’ starting lineup in 2008, Cassell joined the Celtics last June as an assistant coach to Joe Mazzulla after spending the previous three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Cassell and Celtics top assistant Charles Lee – who was hired a week after Cassell last June – provided an injection of leadership and experience on Mazzulla’s staff in his second season as Boston’s head coach. Lee accepted the position as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets last weekhowever, and now it appears that Cassell could be on the move this summer as well.
Los Angeles would be a fascinating destination for Cassell, especially considering LeBron James’ uncertain future: The Lakers star has a player option for the 2024-25 season and could opt not to pursue free agency.
Mazzulla said last week that it plans to hire from within to replace Lee, and if Cassell also leaves, it could mean additional responsibility for assistant Tony Dobbins, who has been with Boston since 2020.
In the meantime, though, Lee and Cassell are still on the Celtics staff and are focused on getting their team over the championship hurdle. The C’s will have the opportunity to advance to their sixth Eastern Conference Finals in eight years if they defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their second-round series Wednesday night at TD Garden.
