Rockets Land Former 76ers Assistant After Interviewing Sam Cassell

The Houston Rockets have concluded their search for a new head coach. On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has agreed to become the next head coach of the Rockets.

Houston becomes Udoka’s fifth organization as a coach. After getting his start as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Udoka joined the Philadelphia 76ers for one season before making a move to the Brooklyn Nets the following year.

After coaching under former Nets coach Steve Nash for one season, Udoka was hired by the Boston Celtics after they made internal changes.

During his first season in Boston, Udoka helped coach the Celtics to a 51-31 record, which placed the Celtics first in the Atlantic Division.

Boston went on to find success in the playoffs, making a run to the NBA Finals. The Celtics came up short against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Following one season in Boston, Udoka found himself suspended for the entire 2022-2023 for violations of team policies.

While the door was left open for a potential return beyond the 2023 playoffs initially, the Celtics redirected their plans for the future and officially named Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Celtics, cutting Udoka loose.

With Udoka set to coach to the Rockets, that takes one candidate out of the equation for the Toronto Raptors and keeps Sam Cassell in Philadelphia with the Sixers for the time being.

When the Rockets initially parted ways with Stephen Silas, Cassell was among a handful of candidates linked to Houston to replace him. Cassell reportedly had an interview scheduled with the Rockets this past weekend. However, it seems Udoka was their top candidate all along. Fortunately for them, they got their guy.