If the NBA approves the deal, it looks like Doc Rivers is leaving the Boston Celtics and is headed to LA to coach the Clippers, a team he once played for.
Sorry Lakers fans, but basically the deal would allow the Clippers to take two major steps forward in building a title contender for next season: They’ll have Rivers signed for the remaining three years and $21 million he would have been paid by the Celtics, and they’ll virtually assure themselves of re-signing point guard Chris Paul, who can become a free agent on July 1.
Paul, according to various reports, strongly supported the Clippers’ pursuit of Rivers and had indicated he was ready to sign a max five-year deal if it happened.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the breakthrough in negotiations on Sunday, citing league sources that said the Clippers were prepared to offer a first-round draft pick.
Talks between the clubs heated up again after it appeared a deal was dead on Friday. Rivers told the Clippers he was no longer interested in the job, according to Yahoo!, and returned to his Orlando home. But in retrospect, it was seen as a cooling-off period that would allow Clippers and Celtics executives to reassess their stances.
Meanwhile, although the Clippers now appear to have secured the services of Rivers, there is no guarantee that the other half of the original deal – Boston forward Kevin Garnett also coming to Los Angeles for Clippers center DeAndre Jordan – will also happen.
Get the rest of this story at Fox Sports.
via EURWeb
