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Latest On Clippers/Celtics Negotiations

June 21st, 2013 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

3:22pm: The Celtics and Rivers' camp are "rapidly" coming to believe that no deal is going to be reached with the Clippers, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

2:59pm: Although the Clippers raised the idea of sending Boston a second-round pick as compensation for Rivers, the Celtics are holding out for a first-rounder, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That would suggest that perhaps the 2015 first-rounder mentioned below hasn't officially been put on the table yet. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides aren't making much progress at this point.

12:47pm: The ongoing saga involving the Clippers, the Celtics, Doc Rivers, and Kevin Garnett took another odd twist this morning, when the Celtics sent out a press release announcing that Rivers and GM Danny Ainge would speak to the media today. Shortly after that announcement, the Celtics postponed the press conference until Monday, tentatively at noon eastern, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (via Twitter).

As Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe notes (via Twitter), the unusual move by the Celtics may have been designed to push the Clippers into action. The Clips had previously been unwilling to give up first-round draft picks as compensation for Rivers, but the threat of a press conference in Boston (perhaps to announce that Rivers would be returning) may have changed that, says Holmes.

Hall of Fame scribe Mark Heisler confirms as much, reporting (via Twitter) that the Clippers have now offered a protected 2015 first-round pick for Rivers. If the two sides can reach an agreement on compensation for Rivers, a Doc deal could be completed today, according to Heisler (Twitter link). However, he adds that the same can't be said for a trade involving Garnett. Due to CBA rules, the NBA has essentially insisted that Rivers and KG would have to be moved in separate, unrelated transactions.

To clarify that last point: Because NBA head coaches can't officially be traded, the Celtics aren't allowed to include Rivers in a Garnett deal. Instead, they'd have to release Rivers from his contract, allowing him to sign with the Clippers, making a potential KG/DeAndre Jordan swap an entirely separate transaction.

But the CBA also doesn't allow teams to make two separate moves that are contingent on one another, so the Clippers have shifted their focus to Rivers for now, in hopes of hiring him and then pursuing Garnett at a later date. If the Clips were to land Rivers and agree to acquire Garnett later, they'd have to convince the NBA that the two moves were made independently of one another.

For more details on how these negotiations have played out, check out our posts rounding up the updates from Wednesday and from Thursday.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Rivers, Raps, Nets, 76ers

June 21st, 2013 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics sent out a press release this morning announcing that GM Danny Ainge and head coach Doc Rivers would address the media at 12:00 eastern time today, but Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald tweets that the presser has been postponed until Monday. It's not known whether Ainge and Rivers were ready to make an announcement today, but with no press conference scheduled until Monday now, it appears the team will still have a few more days to negotiate a potential deal with the Clippers. Here's more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Clippers still want to land Rivers, but they believe the Celtics are the team with a timetable looming, and are in no hurry to complete a deal, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star is hearing there will likely be some turnover for the Raptors' coaching staff, with assistants Johnny Davis, Scott Roth, and Tom Sterner not expected to return.
Noting that multiple mock drafts have the 76ers drafting Steven Adams, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders whether the Pittsburgh big man is the best target for the Sixers. Our own mock draft has Philadelphia selecting Cody Zeller at No. 11, with Adams going a pick later.
With C.J. Watson opting out of his contract, the Nets will need a new backup point guard, and may target Isaiah Canaan in the draft, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes.

Odds & Ends: Rivers, Nuggets, Roc Nation

June 20th, 2013 at 8:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald refers to a source that says Doc Rivers had no intention of being a part of an eventual rebuilding process with the Celtics, and that the team knew he felt that way when he signed his latest contract. The same source also said that Rivers did not intitiate the process that led to talks between Boston and the Clippers, adding that he had been contemplating between returning to coach the Celtics and stepping away from the game before team brass asked him if he was interested in any of the coaching opportunities around the league.

According to Bulpett's source, Rivers then learned that the front office had already held preliminary discussions with the Clippers about making him available (by releasing him from his contract) and seeing what they could get in return. At that point, Rivers was reportedly intrigued at the prospect of moving west and allowed Danny Ainge to try to work out the best possible deal. In the meantime, the 51-year-old coach was given permission to see if he could reach a separate agreement with the Clippers, which he eventually did (most notably, it would allow him to have control over player personnel).

With the deal now slowed by the fact that the agreement doesn't exactly comply with the rules of the CBA, Bulpett writes that Rivers could choose to do television work for the next one to two years rather than decide between coaching the Celtics or stepping away from the game altogether – that is, if the deal with the Clippers falls through. Interestingly enough, on the notion that Rivers had once said he'd be willing to continue coaching in Boston during a rebuilding process, some sources have called it an obligatory statement that was meant to preserve the stability of the team at the time, all while the front office would work to find pieces to complement Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce accordingly.

As we gear up for the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals, here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the Association:

Mike Bratz, currently the director of player personnel for the Nuggets and former Kings backup point guard, has reached an agreement with Sacramento to become the team's assistant general manager (Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports).
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that shortly after firing George Karl, the Nuggets had offered the Celtics a first round draft pick as compensation to pry Rivers out of his contract. Once Denver's offer was rebuffed by Danny Ainge, they quickly moved their focus onto Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, who both are said to have made strong impressions on team president Josh Kroenke and general manager Tim Connelly. Sources have said that at the time Kroenke had made his bid for Rivers about ten days ago, Boston was not ready to start the process of letting Rivers leave, and the negotiations never went beyond one brief conversation between Kroenke and Ainge.
There has been growing confusion (as well as anger, in some cases) among outside agents about who exactly the Roc Nation Sports agency represents and which athletes are part of its partnership with CAA Sports, writes Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessDaily.com. Some agents have privately expressed anger that Roc Nation has been reported to represent athletes who are still clients of other firms.
Janis Carr of the OC Register writes that Dwight Howard is still undecided on his future (subscribers only).
Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News tweets that Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni will be continuing interviews to fill out the rest of his coaching staff through next week, and that much of it will depend on how the head coaching hires around the league turn out.
The city of Sacramento is being asked to write its first big check toward the development of a downtown sports arena, says Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. City development staff is expected to ask the council for $6.5MM in city funds, of which some will be used to hire a team of financial, design, and legal consultants. The team of consultants are said to be needed as the city begins negotiations on "definitive agreements" of an arena financing and construction plan with the private investment team that owns the Kings.
The Grizzlies should strongly consider selecting D.J. Stephens on draft night, opines Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Clippers Targeting Rivers First; KG, Pierce Later

June 20th, 2013 at 7:28pm CST by Luke Adams

7:28pm: Dan Woike of the OC Register tweets that Los Angeles isn't optimistic that the league will ever allow them to acquire both Garnett and Rivers.

7:10pm: ESPN's Ramona Shelburne tweets that the Clippers are in no rush to get something done, knowing that two of the three candidates they've interviewed will be available for a while.

7:00pm: Rivers is said to be growing frustrated by the lack of closure on the deal and could take himself out of it if things aren't resolved by tomorrow morning, writes Bulpett. Though another source tells Bulpett that process has come too far along to turn away now.

6:21pm: Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (via Twitter) says that there was no deal presented to the league today because the Clippers have yet to meet the Celtics' asking price.

4:43pm: According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics would just want one first-round pick as compensation for releasing Rivers from his contract. If the two sides eventually returned to talks involving Garnett, the Celtics would want another first-rounder along with Jordan, says Wojnarowski.

However, the Clippers still haven't extended an offer of compensation to Boston, and there's concern from people involved in the talks that L.A.'s front office doesn't have the authority to meet the Celtics' request. Clippers management had privately insisted to people they were waiting on Donald Sterling's approval for the draft-pick compensation.

4:07pm: Although the Clippers want to set aside the Garnett discussions for now, they haven't shown a willingness to offer even one first-round pick for the rights to Rivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski adds that talks are going nowhere until the Clippers relent on at least one pick (Twitter links).

Since it was previously reported that the deal for Garnett and Rivers would include two first-rounders along with Jordan, this new information is a little confusing. Obviously, the Clippers wouldn't give up two first-round picks and Jordan for Garnett alone, so it had appeared the team was willing to give up a first-rounder or two for Rivers.

The equation has likely changed now for one of two reasons: If the Clippers reach an agreement for Doc first, there's no guarantee they'll be able to work out a separate deal for KG later, so the team may be unwilling to part with first-round picks for just a coach, rather than the duo as a package. The Clippers also may feel they've regained some leverage, since Stern's public comments today suggested the NBA was uneasy about attaching significant trade value to head coaches. Both of those theories are my own speculation though.

Clippers/Celtics Updates: Thursday

June 20th, 2013 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

3:12pm: The Clippers and Celtics haven't talked for several hours, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski reports that the Clips would still like to get the deal done and are working on ways to satisfy the league's concerns.

1:00pm: Sam Amick of USA Today suggests that for the deal to be completed, one of two adjustments may have to be made. The Celtics may have to give up something more in the deal along with Garnett, most likely draft picks; or the Clippers may be able to give up slightly less.

According to Amick, the NBA believes that the "mere appearance that there is value being attached to Rivers" is not in accordance with the CBA, so it's Garnett's trade value that should be at the center of the discussion, rather than Rivers' value.

12:52pm: The league's primary concern with the proposed Celtics/Clippers deal is that the CBA doesn't allow coaches to be traded, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. Breaking it up into two separate moves would still be frowned upon by the NBA, a source tells Turner, since the Clippers are trying to get Rivers more than anything else.

The league has told the two teams for "several days" that the deal as currently constructed isn't legitamite, so the two sides are working to come up with an alternate solution, according to Turner.

12:26pm: Appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio today (video link), commissioner David Stern confirmed that the NBA wants to ensure the Celtics and Clippers aren't violating the CBA by including a head coach in a trade or by making two separate deals that are contingent on one another.

"If we know that what the parties really wanted to do is one [deal] they're going to break into two for purposes of trying to avoid the restrictions that the Collective Bargaining Agreement places on it, we know how to deal with that," Stern said.

11:36am: Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Celtics and Clippers have begun discussing new trade scenarios in an attempt to satisfy the league's misgivings about the two deals.

Clippers, Celtics Re-Engage On Trade Talks

June 19th, 2013 at 10:44pm CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE 10:44pm: We suddenly have a number of late-night updates, courtesy of Shelburne, who reports that the Clippers have backed off their refusal to include two first round draft picks in the deal. She also reports that the deal should get done by Thursday, and the Clippers believe it will ensure that Paul re-signs with the team on July 1 rather than becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Because coaches cannot be traded, the deal must consist of two separate transactions – first a swap of Jordan for Garnett and then a transmission of the two drafts picks from L.A. to Boston as compensation for the release of Rivers from his contract. Because of this, Shelburne says that the teams will have to then convince the NBA that the two deals are not contigent on each other and that they are, in fact, separate transactions in order to meet the standards of the league's CBA.

8:28pm: A deal will not be finalized tonight, tweets Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The talks that resumed today will pick back up tomorrow morning.

6:53pm: Per Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne on Twitter, one source close to the trade talks expressed optimism that the teams could come to terms tonight.

5:56pm: Merely a day after both sides suggested the deal was dead, the Clippers and Celtics have re-opened trade discussions involving Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). While they appeared to be moving on with their coaching search, the Clippers reached out to the Celtics today to resume dialogue and according to Wojnarowski, Chris Paul's insistence was a big reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that the Clips are now determined to get a deal done, which could lead to a sweetener in the deal for the Celtics.

We know that Rivers was set to meet with C's GM Danny Ainge today. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles tweets that that meeting has officially ended, curiously at about the same time we heard that talked had been reignited. Citing a source close to Rivers, Shelburne writes that Rivers does want to coach next season but would like another shot at a championship, which he knows will not happen if Boston chooses to rebuild. Washburn also tweets if the C's lose Rivers, expect Ainge to look for a younger replacement like Brian Shaw or Heat assistant David Fizdale.

Meanwhile, sources tell ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that the meeting between Clippers owner Donald Sterling and head coaching candidate Byron Scott went "very well," yesterday. Shaw, who was scheduled to meet with Sterling today, is currently at the Clippers' office, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register.

Talks between the two sides reportedly ended yesterday when the Clippers refused to include a second first-round draft pick in an offer that included DeAndre Jordan and one first-rounder. Jordan's $3MM trade kicker and the potential inclusion of Courtney Lee's or Jason Terry's contract were also believed to possible points of contention. There are a ton of balls in the air for both teams in this situation. Stay tuned.

Doc Rivers Unsure About Returning To Celtics

June 18th, 2013 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

3:28pm: Rivers is scheduled to be in Boston on Wednesday, and plans to sit down with Ainge, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

12:41pm: With trade talks between the Clippers and Celtics dead in the water, it doesn't appear Doc Rivers will be coaching in Los Angeles next season. What remains to be seen is whether he'll be coaching in Boston. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Rivers is unsure about returning to the Celtics as the team's head coach.

As Wojnarowski reported earlier today, when talks between the Clippers and Celtics ended, GM Danny Ainge called Rivers to inform him he still wanted to see Doc return to Boston and coach the remaining three years on his contract. While Ainge and Rivers are close, it's hard to envision Rivers back on the sidlines for the Celtics next season, considering how far along things got with the Clippers. As one source tied to Celtics ownership and Rivers told Wojnarowski: "You don't just move on from this and act like nothing happened."

Rivers' contract with the Celtics includes a non-compete clause that would prevent him from coaching another NBA team over the next three years, unless Boston received satisfactory compensation. If Rivers were to part ways with the C's, he would likely have plenty of options available to him as a broadcaster.

Resolution on the situation is expected within the next several days, according to Wojnarowski. As the Yahoo! scribe notes, until the Clippers hire a new head coach, it's possible trade talks could be re-opened, but for now it appears the two sides are going their separate ways.

Negotiations End, No Deal For Celtics, Clippers

June 18th, 2013 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

2:33pm: According to tweets from Ramona Shelburne and Arash Markazi of ESPN.com, financial concerns weren't the reason the Clippers pulled out of the deal. The team was prepared to give Rivers a big contract, but didn't want to give up two first-round picks in the move (Twitter links).

11:46am: According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Ainge has called Rivers to inform him that talks are over and that he still wants Rivers back as the Celtics' coach.

11:41am: Sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that the Clippers got "cold feet" over the financial commitment necessary to complete the deal. Even if Terry and Lee weren't involved, the Clips would have been paying Jordan's trade kicker and committing a $6-7MM annual salary to Rivers.

11:31am: The Clippers don't appear to be posturing when they say talks are over, according to Turner, who tweets that the deal is "dead, dead, dead." Amick and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register are also hearing the same thing (Twitter links). Celtics GM Danny Ainge confirms to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (Twitter link) that negotiations are over from Boston's perspective as well.

11:01am: After days of negotiating, the Clippers appear to have called off a potential deal with the Celtics that would have sent Kevin Garnett and coach Doc Rivers to L.A., according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Turner hears from a Clippers executive that the Celtics were asking for too much in the proposed swap.

Earlier today, we heard that while the Celtics would have liked to include Jason Terry's or Courtney Lee's contract in the deal, Boston was willing to hang on to those players if the Clippers gave up two first-round picks. However, according to Turner (via Twitter), the Clippers were unwilling to part with multiple first-rounders in addition to DeAndre Jordan. Los Angeles will move forward with its head coaching search, as owner Donald Sterling prepares to meet with Byron Scott today and Brian Shaw tomorrow, says Turner (via Twitter).

I'm a little surprised that a second first-round pick would be the sticking point for the Clippers, considering how many other concessions the Celtics appear to have made, including agreeing not to include Eric Bledsoe in the deal. The Clippers figured to be a perennial contender in the West for the next several years if they locked up Chris Paul to go along with a roster that would also include Blake Griffin, Garnett, and whatever other assets the team acquired this summer, so those future picks would likely have landed late in the first round.

It would seem to be in the best interests of both teams to get something done — for the Clippers, it virtually guarantees Paul would re-sign with the team in July, while for the Celtics it would mean starting their rebuilding process in earnest. Both sides wanted closure one way or the other early this week, so it's possible that talks are indeed dead, as Sam Amick of USA Today is also hearing (Twitter link). But as Amick notes, until the Clippers officially hire a head coach besides Rivers, it's hard to believe both teams would truly walk away from this deal.

Clippers/Celtics Updates: Tuesday

June 18th, 2013 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Even with Game Six of the NBA Finals less than 12 hours away, the hottest topic around the Association remains the trade talks between the Clippers and Celtics involving Kevin Garnett, DeAndre Jordan, and Doc Rivers. We rounded up a ton of reports on the story yesterday, but by the end of the night, the two sides had yet to reach an agreement. As the two sides continue to negotiate, we'll round up the latest rumors on the proposed deal below, with any additional updates coming throughout the day:

As we noted last night, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the deal may get done without the Clippers giving up Eric Bledsoe or taking on Jason Terry's or Courtney Lee's contracts. In that scenario, Boston would be seeking Jordan and two first-round picks. Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that the Clips were unwilling to acquire both Terry and Lee, but still may take on one of the two — however, according to Wojnarowski, L.A. has refused to take on additional salary "in any combination."
In the event an agreement is reached, the Clippers would have to pay about $3.5MM for Jordan's 15% trade kicker and would also be prepared to offer Rivers a five-year contract worth about $35MM, writes Wojnarowski. So the move would represent a significant financial commitment for the franchise even without Terry or Lee involved.
While there's still optimism that a deal will get done, the Clippers are preparing a contingency plan for their head coaching opening, having owner Donald Sterling meet with Byron Scott on Tuesday and Brian Shaw on Wednesday, according to Shelburne and Stein. As for Rivers, he remains "torn" on whether he'd return to the Celtics should this deal fall apart, says Wojnarowski.
Although various outlets are reporting slightly different details on the talks, all of the latest reports, including those from ESPN.com, Yahoo!, and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, agree that Bledsoe is off the table and won't be part of the deal if it gets done.

Clippers/Celtics Updates: Monday

June 17th, 2013 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The trade talks between the Celtics and Clippers aren't quite dead yet, but they also didn't move forward at all yesterday, as we detailed in a pair of posts rounding up Sunday's updates. Though the two sides have reached a stalemate for now, they continue to engage in talks and hope remains of finding an agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). We'll keep tabs on today's new items right here, with any further updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

The price to complete the deal may come down to the Clippers' willingness to include a second first-round pick, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. After pushing for the Clippers to take back long-term contracts, the C's relented and have shown willingness to complete the deal for DeAndre Jordan and two first-round picks. The Clippers are willing to give the Celtics Jordan and one draft pick, but are resisting a second future pick. Boston has also dropped their pursuit of Eric Bledsoe, which could help speed things along.
The two sides have decided to leave the office for the evening and will reconnect tomorrow morning, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Earlier updates: