Celtics’ Rivers Is Said to Be Heading to Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are poised to finally lure Coach Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics, reaching agreement on an on-again, off-again deal that at various points was declared dead and against league rules. Off the Dribble Keep up with the latest news, on the court and off, with The Times's basketball blog. Go to Off the Dribble N.B.A. Live Scoreboard Teams | Player Stats Knicks Schedule/Results Roster | Player Stats Nets Schedule/Results Roster | Player Stats W.N.B.A. Live Scoreboard Teams | Player Stats Liberty Schedule/Results Roster | Player Stats The deal, which was confirmed by a person close to Rivers, would send the coach to Los Angeles in exchange for an unprotected 2015 first-round draft pick. Believed to be the key to retaining Chris Paul, the Clippers’ All-Star point guard, who will be an unrestricted free agent July 1, Rivers has agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with the Clippers, according to multiple news media reports. The deal matches the basic terms remaining on Rivers’s contract with the Celtics. The problems concerning the exchange focused on a second proposed trade that would involve multiple players, including the Celtics star Kevin Garnett and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. With the deals seemingly contingent on each other, they would violate the league’s collective bargaining agreement, which bans transactions involving players and coaches. Commissioner David Stern, who remains in charge of the league until Feb. 1, made clear that he would veto the trade if he thought the two parts were connected. He also mocked the notion that the teams could do both trades and then claim they were not related. “I have a bridge that I would very much enjoy selling to you,” Stern told ESPN Radio last week when asked if the two trades could be completed independently of each other. The deal would still require league approval, but since the Garnett trade has not been completed, it is unclear how the league could say the Rivers deal is against the rules. Rivers, who just completed his ninth season as the coach of the Celtics after five with the Orlando Magic, has a career record of 587-473. He was named the coach of the year for the 1999-2000 season and won a title with the Celtics in 2008. Many have speculated that Rivers was not interested in being part of a coming rebuilding effort in Boston. Although the Clippers owner Donald Sterling is not known for largess, the generous contract for Rivers will be well worth it if it helps the team retain Paul, who pairs with Blake Griffin in what has been nicknamed Lob City. The team would become especially dangerous should it work out a deal for Paul Pierce, who could become a free agent June 30, when the Celtics must decide whether to exercise a $15 million option or give him a $5 million buyout. In a rebuilding mode, the Celtics may not want to spend so much on a veteran player. A trade for Garnett, however, is unlikely because it would probably cause the league to become involved. A situation somewhat similar to the Rivers deal happened in 2007 when the Magic wanted to hire Stan Van Gundy, whose rights were still held by the Miami Heat. In exchange for releasing their rights to Van Gundy, the Heat received a second-round pick (39th over all) in the 2007 draft. In 1983, the Chicago Bulls lured Kevin Loughery from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a second-round draft pick. The Hawks used that pick to take Rivers. Other sports have dealt with such situations as well. In baseball, Lou Piniella was traded from Seattle to Tampa Bay after the 2002 season in exchange for Randy Winn and Antonio Perez. In football, Jon Gruden was traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2002 season in exchange for four draft picks. The move backfired on the Raiders: Gruden coached Tampa Bay to a win over Oakland in the Super Bowl that season. With their coach secured, the Clippers would next need to focus on retaining Paul and continuing to put the pieces around him for a long playoff run after a first-round exit this season. Howard Beck contributed reporting.

new source:  .nytimes.com