76ers News: Lakers could steal former key figure in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia 76ers may not have much going on right now as they have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but as you might have already guessed, the team remains a favorite customer of the rumor mill. But this time, it’s not the players being circled around by the ever-active whirlwind of spills.

Instead, the one currently being linked to another team on the transaction table is a valued assistant coach, albeit a former one, and a vaunted one at that. Following the Lakers’ expected firing of Darvin Ham in the aftermath of their first-round ouster at the hands of the Nuggets, LA is seemingly lasering in on one of the 76ers’ previous deputies as a potential replacement.

Lakers eyeing former 76ers deputy Sam Cassell as a head coach candidate

According to ESPN Senior Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have cast a wide net for their head coach search, eyeing a bunch of current assistant coaches which includes a former key figure for the 76ers in Sam Cassell.

Cassell, a former longtime NBA veteran who has spent the last 15 years as an assistant, was mentioned to be one of the Lakers’ early favorites for the head poncho job. Prior to his move to Boston this season, Cassell spent the previous three seasons in Philadelphia under then-head coach Doc Rivers, who was also his former boss with the LA Clippers.

Widely credited as one of the main shadowmen behind Tyrese Maxey’s emergence as an All-Star, Cassell has long been a prime steward for NBA guards thanks to his robust experience as a 15-year veteran where he made one All-Star team and was a part of three championship teams.

While not in Philly anymore, Cassell’s work with Maxey remains a valued tidbit of his relatively short stay with the franchise. Hopefully, he gets the head coaching gig he’s long overdue this summer, potentially with a Lakers team still abundant with talent.