The NBA reportedly has questions regarding whether the rumored trade of Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Clippers is going to be legal, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. The league has apparently contacted both the Clippers and the Boston Celtics to let them know that they have questions about the potential transaction.
NBA reportedly has ‘questions’ about proposed Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett trade
The NBA is reportedly concerned that the rumored deal between the Celtics and Clippers is going to be illegal -- if it ever gets agreed upon, anyway.
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The Celtics and Clippers have been in on-again, off-again talks regarding a trade that would net the Clippers a new head coach in Rivers, former NBA MVP Garnett and the potential of some additional players that would help on the salary cap issues. In return, the Clippers would send DeAndre Jordan and a pair of first-round draft picks to Boston.
That deal sounds fairly reasonable, but it’s apparently illegal by NBA standards due to the fact that Rivers can’t technically be involved in the trade. To get around that, the Celtics are asking the Clippers to include the first-round picks in exchange for Boston releasing Rivers from his current contract -- the “contingency” that is illegal under NBA rules.
The league obviously already has issues with this deal (considering Stein reports they sent correspondence to each team letting them know), leading Sports Illustrated legal expert Michael McCann to opine that it’d be impossible for the two teams to go back and argue that the deal is separate now that it’s been reported as a two-part trade since it was reported on in the media.
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