NBA News: Austin Rivers Heading To Boston In Three-Team Trade With Pelicans, Grizzlies – Heading to Clippers?


Guard Austin Rivers is heading out of the Big Easy and into the green of the Boston Celtics. The New Orleans Pelicans joined in as part of a three-team trade that will send Rivers to Boston and allows them to acquire small forward Quincy Pondexter from the Memphis Grizzlies.

According to ESPN, the Pelicans agreed to send the former lottery pick in Rivers to the Celtics, which helps them complete the trade with Memphis. This will now send Jeff Green to Memphis as the Celtics have been trying to do for days.

Boston will also get Tayshaun Prince and his $7.7 million expiring contract, and a future first-round pick.

From here though, the Boston Herald states that Austin Rivers won’t actually be going to Boston, but out west. A league source apparently states that Rivers is going to be heading to the Los Angeles Clippers and joining his father, coach Doc Rivers.

“The bottom line is that the Celtics don’t need another guard.”

At the same time, Twitter is going wild with fans from the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers regarding the possible trade and trade.

Austin Rivers was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He’s struggled during his time in New Orleans, and that was part of the reason the Pelicans didn’t pick up the fourth year option on his contract back in October.

The return of guard Eric Gordon from his shoulder injury means that Rivers’ minutes were going to be cut even more.

Quincy Pondexter will now be returning to New Orleans, after he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies before the 2011-12 season that was shortened due to lockout. He had played in 66 games with the team during the 2010-11 season.

The Pelicans and Austin Rivers joined in on the trade talks with Boston and Memphis on Friday, and that was when Pondexter began to think things were a little strange. He didn’t play Friday night in the loss to the Pelicans, and then had numerous friends and family contact him.

”My mom, my sister, everyone is in a panic; I’m going to talk with my agent and see what happens. There’s so much emotions. They (New Orleans) did take a chance on me (in 2010) and I know Dell (Demps) and Monty (Williams). But to leave Memphis is something that I thought I would have to come to. It’s crazy even thinking about it.”

Now, the trade is just about complete and numerous players will be moving around. As for Austin Rivers? It isn’t known if he will join his father out in Los Angeles, but for the time being, he is headed to Boston to wear Celtics’ green.

[Image via Brett Duke / Nola.com]

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