Sam Cassell
From Hoopedia
Samuel "Sam" James Cassell (born November 18, 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an NBA point guard who currently plays for the Boston Celtics.
Cassell was selected 24th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1993 NBA Draft out of Florida State University. He helped them win two NBA World Championships in 1994 and 1995. After the 1995-96 season, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, but his tenure there was brief.
He was soon traded again, along with Michael Finley, A.C. Green and a draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas, and Loren Meyer on December 26, 1996. The next year, he was traded along with Chris Gatling, Jim Jackson, George McCloud and Eric Montross to the New Jersey Nets for Shawn Bradley, Ed O'Bannon, Robert Pack and Khalid Reeves.
Two years later, he was dealt in a three-way trade, which sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Brian Evans, Chris Gatling, and two future draft choices. On June 27, 2003, the Bucks traded him and Ervin Johnson to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Joe Smith and Anthony Peeler. On August 12, 2005, the Timberwolves traded Cassell and a draft pick to the Clippers for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers.
Cassell appears to have found a home with the Los Angeles Clippers; the NBA veteran led them into the Western Conference semi-finals in the 2006 playoffs with home court advantage in the first round. They beat Denver in five games but would eventually fall to the Phoenix Suns in 7.
Cassell is known for his feistiness and outgoing personality. He was one of the Milwaukee Bucks' "big three" alongside Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. In Minnesota, he was an integral part of the Timberwolves. He and his teammates were led by 2003-04 MVP Kevin Garnett to the 2004 Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. In 2006, the Los Angeles Clippers reached an agreement with Cassell on a $13,000,000 two-year deal. Cassell was tempted to take a $15,000,000 two-year offer from the Hawks, but decided against it. He confirmed his agreement with the Clippers on July 2. The deal was officially completed on July 12th, when the NBA Free Agency period began.
Cassell became an unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2008, 6 p.m. ET, when he cleared waivers, and was eligible to sign with a team of his choice. Although the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns were interested in his services, he was strongly linked with a poised move to the Boston Celtics and was expected to be in Boston once he cleared waivers. On March 1, 2008, Cassell's agent, David Falk, confirmed that Cassell would sign a contract with the Celtics for the remainder of the season if he cleared waivers, receiving a prorated amount of the veteran minimum of $1.2M. Cassell has said that he would wear either No. 28 or No. 91 on his jersey, and eventually chose No. 28.
According to his agent, Cassell had signed a contract with the Celtics on March 3, 2008, but the signing was pending an official league announcement. However, his arrival was delayed because of a death in his family. On March 4, 2008, Cassell officially signed with the Celtics, but immediately flew back to his hometown of Baltimore to attend funeral services for his deceased family member. He made his debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 10, 2008.
