Mark Berman: Guard @AustinRivers25, who’s declining his player option with the #Rockets and exploring free agency, likes the hire of new head coach Stephen Silas: “Listen, I love Mike (D’Antoni). Once Mike left then that’s over with. Then they bring in a guy that I think everybody likes…” “…That’s a good thing. He’s been around the game. Obviously, he’s a whole different person than I am, just like everyone’s different, but his background, he’s cut from a similar cloth like what I am. That’s pretty cool. The most important thing, he’s a guy who knows the game of basketball and he’s been around it his whole life. He’s gonna do a good job. I think that’s what most people are drawn to and excited for.”
More on Austin Rivers Free Agency
Mark Berman: .@AustinRivers25 reiterates he’ll decline his player option with the #Rockets & explore free agency: “It’s for obvious reasons. I love Houston and I love the Rockets. It’s not like I don’t want to play there. U owe it to yourself to look at the best situations & where you..”
Rivers: "...There are lot of rumors, but that has nothing to do with me. I like Houston a lot. I love Houston, but at the end of the day, it's simple. There are other situations out there and you owe it to yourself to go see if you can compliment those situations, help other teams win games and I know I can do that. You owe it to yourself to go look at them."
Mark Berman: .@AustinRivers25, who’ll decline his player option with the #Rockets & explore free agency, says he can’t let whatever’s going on with James Harden & Russell Westbrook impact what’s next for him: “They have their own decisions they have to make.Russ wants to do what’s best for him and his family and I'm sure James does too. What they decide is what they decide. That has nothing to do with me. I can't control if either of them get traded or they don't get traded. That's just not my place. There's so much going on right now in the NBA and it's going to happen so fast. The Draft is the 18th, then the 20th they have this and then the 22nd. It's right after each other, boom, boom, boom and then camp's three weeks later, four weeks later. All I know is they're gonna make the best decision.."
“I definitely want to be out there on the market, and just see what else is out there. But I love Houston. Houston’s still one of my main options. That’s a team I loved playing for. But there’s other teams out there that you want to look at. You owe it to yourself to at least see the best situation.”
I do not. It would be shocking if Rivers could not get a fully guaranteed minimum contract on a competitive team on the open market so he might as well get more control by opting out. Also, the Rockets have Early Bird rights on Rivers, meaning they can pay him up to about $10 million without having to use another exception like the MLE. While that is more than the 27-year old will get as a free agent, it does give him some leverage in negotiations since the Rockets can sign him without diminishing their ability to bring in new talent. Furthermore, as the question alluded to, Houston does not have many capable replacements for his 23 minutes per game on roster, especially for the times when someone in the rotation is injured.
JD Shaw: The Rockets have officially re-signed Austin Rivers to his deal, GM Daryl Morey said.
Tim MacMahon: Austin Rivers had offers in $5.7M midlevel range but took the vet minimum from Rockets. “Now that the league is wide open, I just saw an opportunity. You can’t really put a price on happiness. The goal was to come back to Houston all along. I think we have the team to beat.”
Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent guard Austin Rivers has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Houston Rockets, league source tells ESPN.
Jonathan Feigen: Rockets reach agreement on two-year deal with Austin Rivers, source said. @Adrian Wojnarowski first. The second year is with a player option.
Rivers has long spoken of his happiness playing in Houston, but there will be far more lucrative offers elsewhere. It’s 50/50 on him to return, but team sources are already resigned that keeping Rivers and Faried would be difficult because of the market and that other teams are able to offer more. Both players went from bad experiences to good ones, and Houston would be happy to see them get paydays elsewhere.
Jonathan Feigen: If the Rockets can land a bargain at that price it could be a significant move, but failing that, they could dip into that to try to bring back Austin Rivers, who became their sixth man. There are holes to fill, however. The Rockets really did not have a backup power forward and were very thin and inexperienced at small forward, relying on Danuel House Jr. and three-guard lineups. They also might need to bolster their options at center, with Nenê generally limited to half the season, Kenneth Faried a free agent and Isaiah Hartenstein, though progressing, still a project. They also can make some strides in their level of play, particularly for Capela who disappointed against the Warriors.
Salman Ali: The Rockets announce that the team has signed free agent guard Austin Rivers for the remainder of the season. pic.twitter.com/u2LoMnwRdr
The Rockets reached an agreement to sign free agent guard Austin Rivers to help pick up the slack left by the hamstring injury to his former Clippers teammate Chris Paul, a person with knowledge of the deal said. Rivers will sign a one-year, fully guaranteed deal, another person familiar with the agreement said. Rivers spoke with Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni on Saturday before reaching the deal on Sunday morning.
Chris Paul voiced no objections to the Rockets adding Rivers for well beyond the two-to-four weeks he is expected to be out, as reserve Brandon Knight has struggled in his first six games to regain his form while coming back from ACL surgery.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Rivers’ deal with Rockets is guaranteed for the season, per source.
Jonathan Feigen: Rockets reach agreement to sign guard Austin Rivers, source said.
Gina Mizell: Per league sources, Austin Rivers gave back $650k of his buyout with the #Suns. More on why Phoenix waived Rivers, what Kelly Oubre brings and Trevor Ariza’s departure in this Q&A with James Jones here:
You’ve opted to immediately waive Austin Rivers. What went into that decision? Mutually, both parties agreed (that) who we are, as far as our chemistry and our rotations, we’re building something special, something good. We just thought it would be best if he found an opportunity that fit him better.
The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Austin Rivers. Rivers was acquired from Washington in a trade that was completed yesterday. The Suns’ roster now stands at 16 players.
Contrary to today's reports, a source with knowledge of the negotiation tells The Daily Memphian that while the Grizzlies considered the matter, the team is not signing Rivers. Unlike on Friday night, when early reporting seemed to reveal some internal confusion among the NBA teams involved in a proposed transaction, this seems merely to be a case of a premature report.
David Cobb: A source confirms to me what @Chris Herrington put out there a few minutes ago: Grizzlies not interested in Austin Rivers. However, with several days remaining 'til Rivers clears waivers and the Grizzlies clearly interested in upgrading at wing, I wouldn't shut the door entirely.
Shams Charania: Four to five other teams are still expressing interest in Rivers, sources said. No formal offer yet from Memphis, with several days until Rivers clears waivers.
Shams Charania: Austin Rivers is expected to finalize a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies once bought out by the Phoenix Suns, per league sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium.
Albert Nahmad: By waiving Austin Rivers, the Suns will lose their only large expiring contract ($12.6M) as potential salary-matching flexibility in trade scenarios before the trade deadline. No set-off is likely either.
Adrian Wojnarowski: After trade with Wizards, Suns agree to part ways with G Austin Rivers, per ESPN sources. Rivers – earning $12.6M in final year of deal – becomes a free agent upon clearing waivers. As a veteran, sides concluded Rivers fits better on an older team that's pursuing playoffs.
Jeff Goodman: Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers will exercise his player option for 12.7 million next year, source told me. Averaged 15.1 points this past season.
"To be honest, it was weird. Just because it was so business. People don't understand from the outside looking in that's kind of how our relationship is. But it's different when it's something like this because now money's involved. Coaching is simple. He's always been a coach to me. He's always been like a coach. He's never really been -- he's always been a father when he had time to be, I'm not trying to say he's not a father, but [our] relationship has always been coach/player. And it's worked out," Austin said after the Clippers' summer league game at Amway Center. "
"So in this process, it was now president vs. player, so it was different," Austin said. "And he told me and I told him, it's a business, man. The fact is if Durant would have signed there, then me and Jamal would have been somewhere else. It's just strictly a business [move]. At the end of the day, you're trying to win. So we understood that. It came down to I wasn't going to wait that much longer. Jamal's sitting here trying to figure something out. It's a stressful process ... I wanted to be back here, and that's why I decided to come back."
Free-agent guard Austin Rivers has agreed to a three-year, $35 million-plus deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told The Vertical.
The contract includes a player option in the third year, sources said.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent guard Austin Rivers has agreed to a deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell @The Vertical.
Ian Begley: The Knicks also have interest in Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon and Jamal Crawford, among others, to fill their void at shooting guard.
Ian Begley: In addition to Lee, the Knicks have shown interest in Austin Rivers and Eric Gordon, per sources. They have also had contact with Dwyane Wade, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Brad Turner: Austin Rivers has meetings set with New York and Portland, per source.
Marc Berman: As expected, #Knicks reached out to Courtney Lee to be starting SG, and Austin Rivers, backup PG. Rivers' price tag won't be crazy.
Dan Woike: Clippers met with Austin Rivers in ORL and Jeff Green in Miami, per source
Prior to them hitting the market Thursday night, the Clippers already had contact with Jeff Green, Austin Rivers, Luc Mbah a Moute, Cole Aldrich, Jamal Crawford and Wesley Johnson, according to a source. Doc Rivers has publicly said he hopes to re-sign as many of them as possible.
If the Clippers are unable to get Durant to agree to join the team, a move that would then trigger a flurry of other moves, they’ll turn their attention to their other top priority – re-signing their own free agents. With most of their salary cap – more than $70 million of it – going to Paul, Griffin, Jordan and Redick – the Clippers hope to keep their top three free agents – Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers. The Clippers have “Bird rights” for Green and Crawford and “early Bird rights” for Rivers, enabling them to go over the salary cap to re-sign those players. The team also has interest in re-signing reserves Cole Aldrich and Wesley Johnson, though the fear is both players will be out of the Clippers’ price range once they hit the market. The Clippers will still meet with Aldrich, though. And just because the Clippers have the ability to pay Green, Crawford and Rivers, there are no guarantees they’re able to secure all three.
In addition to pursuing Durant in free agency, the Clippers have several short-term free-agent priorities to re-sign for next season, including Jeff Green, Austin Rivers, Jamal Crawford and Cole Aldrich. Two of the Clippers’ three All-Stars – Chris Paul and Blake Griffin – could become free agents in the summer of 2017.
Brad Turner: Austin Rivers plans on talking with Clippers, several teams when free agency opens tomorrow night, per source.
Brad Turner: Can confirm Clippers guard Austin Rivers opted out of contract that would have paid him $3.3 mil next season. Rivers will be free agent.
Marc J. Spears: Clippers guard Austin Rivers has decided not to exercise his player option for next season & will test free agency this summer. @ASM_SPORTS
Austin has a player option next season, and he said everything’s happened so fast from a year ago when he was a free agent. There wasn’t much demand then, when he returned to the Clippers. “Now, it’s obviously a whole different story and a whole different situation,” Austin said. “I’m taking it day by day. I love my teammates here, I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here, how to be a man, how to be a player, just how to be a professional, how to work at it, how to be a leader. “We’ll see. This is a new situation for me.”
One thing’s certain: Doc Rivers is proud as a peacock. “More, I guess, the next day because of all the texts and calls,” he said. “I got a lot of calls from other coaches around the league. They kept saying, ‘Your son,’ and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’”
Free-agent guard Austin Rivers has reached agreement on a two-year, $6.4 million contract to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The second year of the contract is a player option, sources said. Because New Orleans had previously declined Rivers' fourth-year option, the most the Clippers could pay him is what his 2015-16 salary would have been if the option had been exercised.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent Austin Rivers has agreed on a deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league source tells Yahoo Sports
Adrian Wojnarowski: Austin Rivers has agreed to a two-year, $6.4M deal with Clippers, league source tells Yahoo.
Shams Charania: Free agent Austin Rivers has engaged in strong discussions to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell RealGM. Negotiating terms.
Alex Kennedy: If Austin Rivers re-signs with Clippers, as expected, I'm told it will likely be a short-term deal that lets him hit free agency again soon. Austin Rivers wanted to bet on himself with short-term deal. He had multi-year offers, but felt LA was good situation where he'd help stock.
