Phoenix Suns to Ignite New Era with Mike Budenholzer and Championship-Caliber Assistant James Posey

With Charles Lee finally getting his long-deserved opportunity to become an NBA bench boss and Blaine Mueller and Jermaine Bucknor joining him in Charlotte, the Celtics mostly filled the voids on Joe Mazzulla’s staff by promoting from within.

They also added Da’Sean Butler, who will work in a video and player development role. The all-time winningest player in West Virginia’s men’s basketball program’s history, registering 107 victories in his collegiate career, starred alongside Mazzulla in Morgantown.

The latter brought the former on board when he coached Boston’s Summer League team in 2021. Since then, Butler has worked as an assistant video coordinator for the Knicks and spent last season at his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Mountaineers men’s basketball program.

While he joins a Celtics staff that’s mostly intact, the Suns are one of six teams that hired a new head coach since their season ended, resulting in a more dramatic makeover.

With Mike Budenholzer now at the helm in Phoenix, he’s reportedly adding James Posey as an assistant coach, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Posey is a two-time NBA champion who helped raise Banner 17 to the TD Garden rafters as a member of Boston’s 2008 title team. Since retiring, he’s worked as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers and Wizards, spending the last two years in the nation’s capital.