Report: Celtics eyeing Bucks' top assistant after Sam Cassell hire originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Could the Boston Celtics land the lead assistant of two Eastern Conference playoff contenders in the same offseason?
Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee is "on Boston's radar" as a potential candidate to join head coach Joe Mazzulla's staff, Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Monday.
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The Celtics reportedly added Philadelphia 76ers lead assistant (and former C's player) Sam Cassell on Sunday, and Lee would bring more experience to Boston's bench. The 38-year-old has been a trusted confidant of Mike Budenholzer for the better part of a decade -- first with the Atlanta Hawks from 2014 to 2018, then with the Bucks from 2018 to present -- and was promoted to associate head coach in Milwaukee last offseason following assistant Darvin Ham's departure.
Forsberg: Sam Cassell checks every box as ideal hire for Celtics
Lee, who went undrafted out of Bucknell in 2006 before a playing career overseas, is a coveted coaching candidate this offseason. He interviewed for multiple NBA head coach openings after the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and "remains involved in several situations," per Fischer.
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Even after hiring Cassell, the Celtics could use another seasoned assistant like Lee on their staff. They've lost five assistants in the span of a year -- Will Hardy to the Utah Jazz, Damon Stoudamire to Georgia Tech, and more recently, Ben Sullivan, Mike Moser and Garrett Jackson to the Houston Rockets -- and are missing out on former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, who reportedly is joining the Detroit Pistons' staff.
In any event, it sounds like Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has his coaching staff top of mind to start the offseason.
