Houston Rockets (1993–1996) Cassell was selected out of
Florida State University with the 24th overall pick of the
1993 NBA draft by the
Houston Rockets. Playing mostly as a backup to
Kenny Smith, Cassell developed a reputation as "clutch" and was usually on the court for the fourth quarter of close games. He was a key contributor during the Rockets playoff run his rookie year, notably dropping 22 points and seven assists in a Game 7 win against the
Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals, and scoring 7 points in the final 32 seconds of a 93–89 win in game 3 of the
1994 NBA Finals against the
New York Knicks. The Rockets would win the championship in seven games. Cassell saw an increase in his role during his second year, appearing in all 82 games that season. He again helped the Rockets reach the
NBA Finals for the second consecutive year. In game 2 of the Finals against the
Orlando Magic, Cassell scored 31 points. The Rockets swept the Magic, giving Cassell his second championship in just two years in the league. In his
third season, the two-time defending champion Rockets were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the
Seattle SuperSonics. Cassell's minutes, scoring and usage rates all increased in his third season, but he missed 21 games with injuries. Rockets management feared their window of winning another championship with
Olajuwon,
Drexler and Smith was closing, and looked to trade for another star-caliber player.
Phoenix Suns (1996) After the
1995–96 season, he was traded to the
Phoenix Suns, along with
Robert Horry,
Chucky Brown, and
Mark Bryant, in exchange for former league MVP
Charles Barkley. Cassell, who was in the final year of his rookie contract, frequently clashed with head coach
Cotton Fitzsimmons; Fitzsimmons subsequently resigned following an 0–8 start. On December 12, 1996, Cassell led the 5–14 Suns into Utah and defeated the Jazz who at the time were on a 15-game winning streak. Cassell scored 21 points in the 95–87 road win. Under new head coach
Danny Ainge, the Suns saw marked improvement with Cassell leading the team with 14.8 points per game.
Dallas Mavericks (1996–97) On December 27, 1996, just 22 games into the season, he was traded along with
Michael Finley,
A.C. Green, and a second-round draft pick to the
Dallas Mavericks in exchange for
Jason Kidd,
Tony Dumas, and
Loren Meyer. Though Cassell had begun to develop chemistry with the Suns and Coach Ainge, team management felt they could not pass up the opportunity to trade for Kidd. Following the season, though he considered an offer to return to Houston, Cassell elected to re-sign with the Nets on a six-year contract. Forming one of the league's most potent backcourts with
Kerry Kittles, Cassell averaged 19.6 points, 8 assists and 1.6 steals in 34 minutes per game for the Nets that year, and helped lead them to the playoffs for their first time in four years. However, they were swept by
Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the first round. Led by coach
John Calipari, who pushed the team to trade for then re-sign Cassell, the Nets were favorites in the Eastern conference entering the
lockout-shortened
1998–99 season. However, Cassell sustained an injury in the first game of the season and the Nets started 3–15.
Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2003) On March 11, 1999, Cassell was again traded in a three team, eight player trade that sent
Stephon Marbury to the Nets,
Terrell Brandon to Minnesota Timberwolves, and Cassell to the
Milwaukee Bucks. Under their new coach
George Karl, Cassell formed a "Big 3" with
Ray Allen and
Glenn Robinson. In the first game of the following season, on November 2, 1999, Cassell led all scorers with 35 points alongside 11 assists in a 98–93 victory against the
Houston Rockets. On November 26, Cassell again led all scorers with 28 points, with 14 assists, this time in a 114–112 win over the
Boston Celtics. On March 3, 2001, he scored his career-high of 40 points against the
Chicago Bulls. During
All-Star Weekend in
2001, he won the
Fleer Shootout at Jam Session on All-Star Saturday.
That season, after defeating the
Orlando Magic and
Charlotte Hornets in the first two rounds of the
playoffs, he almost reached the
Finals with the Bucks, falling just short when they lost in Game 7 of the
Eastern Conference Finals against the
Philadelphia 76ers. During the
2002–03 season, he passed 10,000 points for his career. On December 9, 2002, in one of the best games of his career, Cassell recorded a triple double with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a double overtime 140–133 victory against the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 28, 2008, Cassell was honored as one of the 20 greatest players in
Milwaukee Bucks history during the team's 40th Anniversary Celebration.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–2005) After spending four seasons with the Bucks, he was traded along with
Ervin Johnson to the
Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for
Joe Smith and
Anthony Peeler following the
2003 NBA draft. Cassell enjoyed his most successful season as an individual
that year. He posted 19.8 points on 49% shooting, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 35 minutes per game on the year. He was named to the
All-NBA Second Team and voted into the
2004 NBA All-Star Game. Cassell,
Latrell Sprewell and
Kevin Garnett formed what was widely considered the best trio in the NBA
that season, vaulting past Western Conference powerhouses the
Sacramento Kings,
Dallas Mavericks,
San Antonio Spurs and
Los Angeles Lakers for the number one seed in the Western Conference, with a franchise-best 58–24 record. Cassell made his playoff debut with the Timberwolves scoring a franchise playoff record 40 points, in a first-round game 1 win against the
Denver Nuggets. Minnesota would win the series in five games. They faced the Sacramento Kings in the next round, with Cassell again dropping 40 points in the series opener. A series of late-game heroics from Cassell helped the Timberwolves defeat the Kings in seven games. Cassell however sustained a back injury that limited him in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, which the Lakers would win in six games. The
following year, the Timberwolves finished 44–38, missing the playoffs by one game in the competitive Western Conference. Cassell, who appeared in only 59 games that season due to injuries, voiced his frustration over the midseason firing of
Flip Saunders and not being offered a contract extension.
Los Angeles Clippers (2005–2008) After the
2004–05 season, the Timberwolves traded Cassell and a conditional first-round pick to the
Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for
Marko Jarić and
Lionel Chalmers. The trade is widely considered among the NBA's most lopsided ever; Chalmers never played another game in the NBA, and Jaric was traded after three unproductive yet overpaid seasons. Cassell meanwhile led the Clippers to their then-most successful season, and the draft pick from Minnesota was used by the Clippers as part of the
Chris Paul trade. The Timberwolves would not qualify for the postseason again until 2018. Cassell appeared to have found a home with the
Clippers, as he helped lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997, with their best record in team history at 47–35. Since the team moved to California in 1978, they had compiled just three winning seasons. In the first round, they beat the
Denver Nuggets in five games, but would fall to the
Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Conference Semifinals. Between their move to California in 1978 and
Chris Paul's arrival in 2011, this would be the only year that the Clippers won a playoff series. Before the
2006–07 season, Cassell was reportedly offered a two-year, $15 million offer from the
Atlanta Hawks, but eventually re-signed with the Clippers on a two-year, $13 million deal. Cassell struggled with injuries that season, and the Clippers missed the playoffs by two games. With
Elton Brand,
Shaun Livingston,
Chris Kaman and others suffering major injuries, the Clippers started rebuilding throughout the
2007–08 season. Although Cassell was initially reluctant to discuss leaving the Clippers, he eventually decided to listen to their buyout offers. On February 28, 2008, the Clippers reached a contractual buyout agreement with Cassell and placed him on waivers. According to the agreement, Cassell received half of his remaining salary, roughly $850,000.
Boston Celtics (2008–2009) against the
Atlanta Hawks. Cassell became an
unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2008, 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. Cassell said that he would wear either
No. 28 or No. 91 on his jersey, 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. His arrival was delayed because of a death in his family. 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. In Boston, Cassell was reunited with former teammates
Kevin Garnett and
Ray Allen. On March 17, 2008, Cassell had a standout performance in a
Saint Patrick's Day matchup against the
San Antonio Spurs, when he led the team from a 22-point deficit to a 2-point victory, scoring 17 points and hitting a clutch shot late in the game. Cassell, along with
Eddie House,
James Posey,
P.J. Brown, and
Leon Powe, gave the Celtics arguably the best bench in the NBA that season. They helped the Celtics finish with an NBA-best 66–16 record en route to the
NBA Finals. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, with the Celtics bench out-scoring the Lakers' in five of the six games. The win gave Cassell his third championship, which would also be the last game he played. During the 2008–09 season, Cassell served as an unofficial assistant to head coach
Doc Rivers; though he did not play in any games, he was still officially listed as an active player. On February 17, 2009, Cassell was traded to the
Sacramento Kings for a conditional second-round draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The move was done strictly for salary cap purposes and Cassell was not expected to play for the Kings. One day later, Sacramento waived him. Cassell cleared waivers and was eligible to re-sign with Boston or another contender, but opted to sit out the remainder of the season, and he announced his retirement in May 2009. In 2015,
Paul Pierce stated that he felt he, Garnett and Cassell were the real "Big 3" of the Celtics 2008 championship team. ==Coaching career==