The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to announce the hiring of JJ Redick as theirnew head coach any day now, and Redick is reportedly hard at work building an assistant coaching staff. Among the names discussed for a Lakers assistant role has been longtime former NBA Sam Cassell, who just won an NBA Championship as an assistant for the Boston Celtics.
But while the Lakers’ interest in Cassell has been widely reported, it appears the Celtics are doing what they can to retain the coveted coach. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Boston may be planning to “elevate” Cassell to ensure he is not another one of its coaching staff departures this offseason.
Stein reported that the Celtics, who lost Charles Lee, the new Charlotte Hornets head coach who reportedly beat out Redick for that job, and Jeff Van Gundy, a senior consultant who is now Tyronn Lue’s lead assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers, are “keen” on keeping Cassell on their staff. Elevating one typically involves a pay raise, as well as an improvement in job title and responsibilities. With Lee’s departure — Lee had been named Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s lead assistant last summer — it would seem likely Cassell would fill the vacancy and receive a raise as a result
