The Boston Celtics are losing another high-ranking assistant coach. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Charles Lee has agreed a four-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets to become their next head coach.
ESPN Sources: Boston Celtics lead assistant Charles Lee has agreed on a four-year deal to become the Charlotte Hornets’ next coach. https://t.co/aLi2LoE92s
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 9, 2024
Wojnarowski has also confirmed that Lee will finish up the postseason with Boston before transitioning into his new role. As such, the Celtics will avoid a repeat of the Damon Stoudamire situation from last season, where he left the team immediately after agreeing to become the new head coach of Georgia Tech.
The Hornets will be getting a highly experienced coach. Lee spent four years with the Atlanta Hawks, five years with the Bucks, and this year with the Celtics. He helped Milwaukee win a championship in 2021.
Lee has been in the running for multiple head coaching roles in recent years. He held interviews with the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors.
Now, Lee will get the opportunity to lead a rebuilding roster. Charlotte already has two franchise cornerstones in place, with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Grant Williams has been a hit with the franchise since joining at the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Furthermore, the Hornets have some tradable assets and a string of draft picks. Lee will be walking into a good situation.
Most encouragingly, for the first-time head coach, Lee won’t have the pressure of a contending team on his shoulders. He will likely be allowed the room to grow and develop as a head coach while his roster improves and naturally evolves.
Boston will now be looking for another assistant coach during the offseason as Joe Mazzulla’s staff fluctuates. Nevertheless, this is the third head coach in the past two seasons to come out of Boston and into a head coaching role — Will Hardy and Stoudamire are the other two.
That’s a fantastic indictment of the talent Boston continues to put on the sidelines and could be a great bargaining chip when looking to fill Lee’s soon-to-be-vacated spot. Before any of that can happen, the Celtics have a championship to try and win, so for now, all focus will likely remain on the task at hand.
