REPORT: 11-Year NBA Veteran Joining Cavaliers’ Coaching Staff
On Wednesday, it was reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers made an addition to their coaching staff in former Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach Jordan Ott.
Two days later, another Los Angeles assistant is reportedly on his way to Cleveland.
According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Lakers Assistant Coach DeMarre Carroll is joining the Cavaliers' coaching staff as an assistant.
Carroll retired from the NBA following the 2019-20 season, and has served as an NBA assistant coach for each of the past two seasons. The 37-year-old coached with Los Angeles this past season, and was previously on the Milwaukee Bucks' staff during the 2022-23 campaign.
Carroll has strong ties to Cleveland's recently hired head coach Kenny Atkinson. During the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, Atkinson was an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, and Carroll was the team's starting small forward. The reportedly new Wine and Gold assistant coach averaged double-digit points per game in each of these campaigns, finishing 10th in the 2015 NBA Most Improved Player voting, and 15th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Then, the pair crossed paths again with the Brooklyn Nets in 2017-18 and 2018-19, with Atkinson as the team's head coach. Carroll averaged a career-best 13.5 points and 11.1 points per game, respectively, during these two seasons. The team improved from 28-54 to 42-40, bowing out in the First Round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Carroll ultimately played 578 games (339 starts) over 11 NBA seasons, averaging 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game, while shooting 35.8% from three-point range.
With him now reportedly joining the Cavaliers' coaching staff, he will also be reunited with former Nets teammates Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.