The trade discussions involving Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett going from the Boston Celtics to the Los Angeles Clippers have lived to see another dawn after a tumultuous Monday that saw seemingly dead rumors revived. It looks as if the two teams are actually moving closer to an unprecedented deal that will send a head coach and a player to another franchise for players and draft picks from the other team.
Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett trade rumors: What we learned about Celtics-Clippers deal Monday
The Celtics and Clippers are working out a somewhat confusing trade with Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett headed to Los Angeles. We round up what we found out Monday about the negotiations in a deal that seemed dead.
It's obviously logistically complicated as the Celtics and Clippers are rumored to be exchanging players DeAndre Jordan and Garnett while the Clippers also give up draft picks in return for Boston waiving Doc Rivers' non-compete clause.
Our whole StoryStream explains things in detail, but we went ahead and summarized what transpired in the talks on Monday for those looking for the TL;DR version:
- The Clippers won't give up Eric Bledsoe. The Celtics reportedly coveted the backup point guard all the way back at the trade deadline -- like a few other teams -- but the Clippers have rebuffed every attempt the opposition has made at bringing in Chris Paul's explosive second-stringer. Bledsoe blossomed this past year -- showing his same speedster capabilities along with a newfound jumper -- but the Kentucky product is still on his rookie contract ... which explains why the Celtics were so eager to grab him as they try rebuilding. Regardless, LA won't budge.
- The Celtics won't dump Jason Terry or Courtney Lee onto the Clippers. The two were part of talks earlier when the Celtics looked to go in on a salary slaughter, but the Clippers don't particularly want them either. Boston is already coming out ahead in terms of salary cap -- Garnett is owed $18 million next season, Jordan just $11 million -- and the Clippers will also have to match Doc Rivers' $7 million salary -- believed to be the most expensive in the league. Adding Lee and Terry would have asked the Clippers to commit even more financially in a deal already lopsided on that front.
- The Celtics want two first-round picks, the Clippers are only interested in trading one. On the one hand, this is a surprising holdup: if the Clippers hypothetically bring in Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to a team that just won 56 games and took the Pacific Division crown, they’ll be good. Since good teams have low draft picks, why the hub-bub from Boston about an extra middling pick? For the Celtics? Well, they’ve already given up their primary desires on the salary front and the personnel front and now LA is trying to give them even less. Meanwhile, the Clippers are breaking the bank for an aging player and a coach and Boston is asking them to give up part of their future as well. Both sides have their reason for stubbornness, but it seems a deal will get done.
We’ll be here with more as the trade talks wind on.
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