NBA Rumors: Pelicans considered waiving Austin Rivers this summer

When people say LeBron James’ free agent decision affected the entire league, it wasn’t hyperbole. Obviously, James returning to Cleveland greatly affected the Miami Heat, but other teams scattered to make decisions in haste.

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And one of those decisions would’ve greatly affected third-year shooting guard Austin Rivers. Zach Lowe of Grantland reported the New Orleans Pelicans considered waiving Rivers in order to make space for Omer Asik who they acquired from the Houston Rockets.

From Grantland:

"In the chaos of LeBron James Day, the Pelicans considered both trading Rivers and waiving him with the stretch provision to make sure they had enough room to complete the Asik deal with Houston. To be clear: Stretching Rivers was an absolute last resort, and New Orleans demanded real assets for him in trade talks, per several league sources."

It’s been a rough two years for Austin Rivers, but the decision to retain Rivers instead of waiving or trading him means there’s some glimmer of hope for the combo guard to become an impact player.

Following an awful rookie year, Rivers bounced back and produced a decent season — 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Most importantly, Rivers’ shooting numbers took a solid jump, hitting 40 percent of his shots from the field — a bad number, but good for Rivers when comparing to his rookie season — and 36 percent from three.

At the end of the day, Rivers’ days may be at odds as the Pelicans currently have a jam-packed backcourt with Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, and Tyreke Evans in the picture, but if New Orleans decides to keep him around, there’s a chance the bet could pay off in their favor.

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