Wizards hiring James Posey as assistant coach

The Washington Wizards are finalizing a deal to hire former NBA player James Posey as an assistant coach under head coach Wes Unseld Jr., according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Posey, 45, spent 12 seasons in the NBA as a player. He was part of two NBA championships. The first occurred while playing with the Miami Heat in 2006. The second was with the Boston Celtics in 2008.

Posey became a coach after his playing days. He served as an assistant in 2013-14 with the Canton Charge of the now-G League. He then spent five seasons as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers under two head coaches David Blatt and then Tyronn Lue while winning an NBA title in 2016.

Last season, Posey moved to women’s college basketball at the University of Virginia on Tina Thompsons staff. Thompson was fired after the season following a 5-22 campaign. Posey essentially will be replacing Mike Batiste on Unseld’s staff. Batiste joined the Houston Rockets this offseason after one season as the Wizards’ player-development manager, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.