Coaching carousel news, rumors: Charles Lee headed to Celtics
With the hiring of Darko Rajaković in Toronto, all six head coaching vacancies in the NBA this offseason have been filled.
However, that has not stopped the assistant coach carousel around the league. Here is the latest.
• Charles Lee, who was Mike Budenholzer’s right-hand man in Milwaukee plus was a finalist for the Pistons and Raptors jobs, is now headed to Joe Mazzulla’s bench in Boston, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Charles Lee is finalizing a deal to join the Boston Celtics as the lead assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. Lee had been the associate head coach with Milwaukee and a finalist for the Toronto and Detroit head jobs. pic.twitter.com/t2WO5r2hHh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 11, 2023
This is a smart hire by the Celtics, picking up maybe the best assistant on the board to go on their retooled staff.
That puts two experienced assistant coaches, Lee and Sam Cassell, next to Mazzulla on the bench to provide some more experienced voices and direction. It’s a noted change from the thrown-together staff from last season in Boston (a rushed process after Ime Udoka was suspended).
• Bringing Rajaković to Toronto may tip their hand on future plans. It’s something Eric Koreen talked about at The Athletic.
Rajakovic has spent the majority of his time in player development, and that appears to be at the forefront of what the Raptors are thinking. However the team chooses to pivot, Rajakovic is someone who will put internal growth at the forefront. With that having stalled over the past few seasons, a new set of eyes to oversee things is huge. He has the skill set to be with the Raptors amid a re-tooling, with a focus on youth.
Other front offices have been circling to see if the Raptors wanted to change course to a younger roster and maybe move on from Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby. Don’t expect that to be an immediate fire sale, but it’s something to watch.
• Longtime Kings’ assistant Bobby Jackson is headed to Philadelphia to join Nick Nurse‘s staff there, reports Marc Stein in his latest substack newsletter.
• Stein added that Adam Harrington, the shooting coach long tied to Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, may be headed to Phoenix. That would not be a surprise.
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Coaching carousel news, rumors: Charles Lee headed to Celtics originally appeared on NBCSports.com
