Wizards Rumors: Wes Unseld Jr., Sam Cassell Leading Candidates for HC Job

Philadelphia 76ers assistant Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. have reportedly emerged as "two of the leading candidates" to fill the Washington Wizards' head coaching vacancy.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the update Friday on The Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM). Both Cassell and Unseld previously served as assistants on the Wizards' staff.

Cassell is a former All-Star point guard who won three NBA championships during a 15-year playing career that included stops with eight different teams prior to his May 2009 retirement.

The 51-year-old Maryland native started his coaching career the same year when he joined the Wizards under head coach Flip Saunders. After five years in Washington, he spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers (2014-20) and this past season with the Sixers.

Cassell is still seeking his first opportunity to serve as a head coach despite being interviewed numerous times over the past decade. Saunders, who died in 2015, praised him when he was a candidate for the Houston Rockets' job all the way back in 2011.

"He's been through it. He understands," Saunders said. "Sam never played because he was fast or jumped very high. Sam is a guy who didn't play because of his athleticism. He played because of how smart he was. He knew angles and played to those. He's able to help and transform that to some of the players."

Meanwhile, Unseld started his NBA career in the Wizards' scouting department in 1997 and made the switch to coaching in 2005 by joining the team's staff as an assistant. Since leaving Washington, he's spent time with the Golden State Warriors (2011-12), Orlando Magic (2012-15) and the Nuggets since 2015.

The Johns Hopkins product received strong recommendations from Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and president of basketball operations Tim Connelly in September.

"Wes Unseld [Jr.] should be a head coach," Malone said.

Connelly added: "Unseld is going to be a rock-star head coach when someone smart enough hires him."

Boston Celtics assistant Scott Morrison told RDS' Peter Yannopoulos he's also interviewed with the Wizards, who are seeking to replace Scott Brooks, whose contract ended after the 2020-21 season.

Washington reached the playoffs for the first time in three years but was eliminated in the opening round of the postseason by the 76ers before Brooks' departure.