Free agent guard Austin Rivers is interested in signing with the Celtics before the start of training camp, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Appearing on a podcast with Bill Simmons of The Ringer, Rivers revealed that he recently reached out to the team to see if there’s a spot open for him.
“I had a great talk with (president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens) actually like a week ago,” Rivers said.
“That’s why I called (Brad),” Rivers said. “I told him I’d love to be a part of the team. He said a lot of positive things. We’ll see if that’s something that will come to fruition. I’ve always loved Brad. I’ve always been a fan of him.”
The 31-year-old combo guard spent last season with the Timberwolves, averaging 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 52 games.
There’s more from Boston:
- Any “bad feelings” that Malcolm Brogdon has toward the team aren’t related to his near inclusion in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN said on “NBA Today” (video link). She suggests the dispute is related to the “golfer’s elbow” injury that Brogdon suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals. Brogdon elected not to have surgery during the summer, and Shelburne indicated there are questions about when he’ll be available for the upcoming season.
- With Smart gone, Jayson Tatum will spend more time running the offense this season, Shelburne adds in the same segment. She points out that Tatum frequently filled that role in the playoffs, averaging 5.3 assists in 20 postseason games. In a look at Boston’s projected starting lineup, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said he expects Al Horford to be in the middle alongside Tatum and Porzingis, with Robert Williams coming off the bench.
- Paul Pierce tells Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe that Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell got him involved in summer workouts with Tatum. Pierce attended numerous sessions with Tatum in Los Angeles, offering advice and joining him on the court. “He’s one of the top five players in the league, so it’s an honor to be there and see him go through his journey to see him get ready,” Pierce said. “I’m there really on some support, just to see his growth. He’s already at the top of the food chain, so I’m just part of being a support system.”
- Neemias Queta‘s two-way deal with the Celtics covers only the 2023/24 season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Queta will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he plays out the contract.
Bit surprising that 5-6 years in the league he is just now working with Pierce. Hope he at least asked advice in prior seasons. Pierce was a face of the franchise, Tatum now the new face. They should have some connection.
When can we stop having Bill Simmons be a source of news? Dude is like a no-research fan at this point with his hot takes and terrible trade ideas.
I mean, the guy gets WWE President Nick Kahn on his podcast and says the should bring back a dead wrestler (Test). Talk about not preparing for an interview. The last time he watched wrestling was probably early 2000s. Even still, maybe get talking points from your research guy at the very least.
I mean New England sports media/sports talk is pretty bad so the bar is low outside of a few columnists, but Bill just provides no real insight anymore.
There is no point in this article where they use Bill Simmons as a source. The only mention of him was an interview he did with Austin Rivers on his podcast where Rivers himself was the source. I don’t listen to his podcasts but the example you put forth is about wrestling, how does wrestling have any relevance to his basketball knowledge?
Queta is a great/cheap addition for the Celtics
Hopefully!
If Tatum’s soft a** can get a little toughness from working with Pierce it would be great. Only thing holding Tatum back is his fall back to thinking hes playing a video game as Kobe with 10 seconds left and game is tied. Thing is, he plays that way like 80% of the time with his crawling it up court and dribbling the air out of it till theres 8 seconds left on shot clock.
thanks for the expert analysis.
No thanks Austin, Celtics are better off having the roster spot empty…
Until Cameron Payne sign I gave hope the Celtics can get him.