Doc Rivers Contract With Los Angeles Clippers Holding Back Finalizing Trade
By Josh Hill
The Boston Celtics have reportedly agreed to trade head coach Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the Clippers 2015 unprotected first-round draft pick. But there’s one important thing holding up this entire trade from happening and that’s the Clippers hammering out a contract with Doc Rivers.
Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that the deal had been agreed upon with the understanding that Los Angeles had to first work out a deal with Rivers that is likely to be a long term deal over at least three seasons. One a contract is agreed upon, Rivers will pack up and move west to Los Angeles while the Clippers send their 2015 first round draft pick out east to the Celtics.
"The Clippers, Celtics are agreeing upon a 2015 unprotected first-round pick, a league source told Yahoo! Sports. Rivers and the Clippers are still working on the language of a five-year, $35 million contract, and no agreement will be in place until those details are finalized, sources said."
CBS Sports’ Ken Berger was much more cynical in his view of this trade, saying the league will be taking a “skeptical look” at any trade that involves shipping out a coach currently under contract with another team to a new one. But as Woj pointed out, a new contract is being agreed upon meaning the Clippers wouldn’t have to be bound to the one the Celtics gave him.
This finally appears to be happening but it also wouldn’t be the first time the NBA blew up a trade that involved a big name getting traded to Los Angeles and this one won’t be over until it’s actually over.