The Los Angeles Clippers are reuniting father with son. The team will acquire Austin Rivers from the Boston Celtics, pairing him with father Doc, who coaches the team. The trade is expected to be finalized on Thursday, according to Shams Charania of Real GM.
Austin Rivers traded to Clippers in 3-team deal
The deal reuniting Austin Rivers with father Doc in Los Angeles is complete. The Phoenix Suns are also involved, taking second-year wing Reggie Bullock off L.A.‘s cap.
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The trade will also involve the Phoenix Suns. As part of the deal, the Clippers will send Reggie Bullock to the Suns, according to Charania. Reserve forward Shavlik Randolph will end up in Boston and fellow backup Clippers wing Chris Douglas-Roberts will join him, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The Clippers will also waive Jordan Farmar, who was likely to lose minutes with Rivers’ arrival.
The Clippers needed to move Bullock and Douglas-Roberts because their team salary is over the “apron,” a complicated CBA provision that essentially forces them to stay under a hard cap that’s just above the luxury tax line. They could not add Rivers’ salary without trading someone else’s away, so the Suns pounced and acquired the second-year wing.
Following two and a half disappointing seasons, the younger Rivers was sent to Boston as part of a three-team deal that sent Jeff Green to Memphis and Quincy Pondexter to New Orleans. But the Celtics never intended to keep Rivers and the Clippers, with a need at backup guard behind Chris Paul, convinced Doc that a move needed to be made.
What are the Clippers getting with Austin Rivers?
Rivers hasn’t grown much in his first three years in the league. The 6’4 guard out of Duke was taken 10th overall in the 2012 draft, but never found his groove in New Orleans. He has struggled shooting the ball during the 2014-15 season, especially from deep, where he’s hit just 28 percent from behind the three-point line. He’s averaging 6.9 points and 2.3 assists in 21.4 minutes per game.
How will Rivers fit with the Clippers?
The hope is that a change of scenery sparks Rivers' career, especially because he's now playing for his father. The Clippers never adequately replaced Darren Collison, who left as a free agent last summer, so Rivers has a shot to carve out an important role before he hits free agency. If he can provide some stable play on the second unit while maintaining the team's fast pace, he'll be an upgrade on Farmar.
What are the Suns getting with Reggie Bullock?
Bullock came into the league with a reputation as knockdown shooter in a prototypical small forward’s body. He never found a niche with the Clippers, who preferred to play veterans at his spot, but when he has played, he’s been useful, connecting on 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and providing solid defensive rebounding in limited minutes. Bullock is just 23 years old and still has two seasons beyond this one on his rookie contract. He is exactly the type of prospect worth acquiring cheaply.
How will Bullock fit with the Suns?
The Suns are well-stocked at the wing, with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic spending time at shooting guard and P.J. Tucker and Gerald Green getting most of the minutes at small forward. Bullock won’t likely crack the rotation this year, but this is a bet for the future for Phoenix. Both Dragic and Green can become unrestricted free agents this offseason and the Suns might looks to trade them before that happens or move on with cheap replacements like Archie Goodwin, Zoran Dragic and Bullock.
What are the Celtics getting?
Less salary, mostly. They never intended to keep Rivers, but didn’t want to add salary in any trade. Enter Randolph and Douglas-Roberts, who make a combined $2.1 million this season and are not under contract next year. Neither is expected to play significant minutes for the Celtics.
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