The Celtics are used to teams trying to poach their top assistant coaches.
Three Boston assistant coaches were mentioned in a story by The Athletic predicting potential candidates — those who specifically have never been an NBA head coach before — to fill NBA vacancies in the upcoming offseason. Sam Cassell, Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay all made the list.
Cassell could be a top candidate for many franchises, as he has been an assistant coach since 2008. He also brings experience as a three-time champion during his 15-season NBA playing career. Cassell has interviewed for previous openings as an NBA head coach, but he has not received an opportunity.
“I’m not a yes-me man, and that may hurt me,” Cassell said on the Draymond Green Podcast when asked about his struggles to get a head coaching job. “I’m a company man, but I’m going to do things the way I think it should be done. You earn playing time. You don’t just get playing time. I think someone is afraid of that aspect of me.”
Dobbins, whose playing career spans stints in the G League and overseas teams, joined the Celtics as an assistant coach in 2020. The 45-year-old’s coaching career started in the film room with Boston before Joe Mazzulla added to his responsibilities, working with Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta, according to The Athletic.
MacLeay’s NBA coaching career began in Philadelphia, where he worked from 2017 to 2021 after he finished playing collegiate basketball. He survived a head coaching change as a video coordinator, remaining with the organization when Doc Rivers took over — working with Cassell, who was an assistant coach — in 2020. He joined the Celtics in 2021, running their 2025-26 defense and working with Kristaps Porziņģis, according to The Athletic. MacLeay also coached Boston’s summer league team in Las Vegas.