Boston, MA – The Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics have been discussing a scenario where Doc Rivers and possibly Kevin Garnett would be sent to Los Angeles, according to a report in Saturday's Boston Herald.
The potential blockbuster swap that would make Rivers the Clippers' new head coach and likely involve several players, most notably Garnett, switching teams remains in preliminary stages and would be a complex arrangement due to the Celtics having placed a non-compete clause in Rivers' contract when the 51-year-old signed a five-year extension back in 2011.
The clause gives the Celtics substantial leverage in negotiations, meaning the Clippers would have to surrender a significant compensation package in order to pry Rivers away as the replacement to the recently fired Vinny Del Negro.
The Herald reported that Boston and Los Angeles discussed a deal that would have sent Garnett to the Clippers in exchange for young point guard Eric Bledsoe and center DeAndre Jordan in February, but the former NBA MVP was not interested in waiving his no-trade clause.
However, Yahoo Sports! reported on Saturday that Garnett will agree to the trade if Rivers is included.
Rivers, who has served as Boston's head coach since 2004 and led the storied franchise to the 2008 NBA title, has been non-committal about his future with the organization due to the Celtics' aging roster and uncertainty about the status of veteran stars Garnett and Paul Pierce. The 37-year-old Garnett is believed to be contemplating retirement, while there has been speculation that the Celtics may attempt to either trade Pierce or buy out the remaining year on his contract.
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