Austin Rivers Agrees to New Contract with Clippers: Details, Reaction
Combo guard Austin Rivers reached an agreement to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, the team announced on Friday.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical first reported the news on July 2. Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported it's a three-year deal.
Wojnarowski reported the contract is for more than $35 million over the three years. According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Rivers' deal is for $35.7 million and will carry an option on the third season.
Rivers took steps toward becoming a more valuable asset during his second season in Los Angeles. He averaged 8.9 points while shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 33.5 percent from three and 68.1 percent from the free-throw line, all of which were above his career averages.
His career numbers—7.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game across 273 appearances—are mediocre as he prepares to enter his fifth season. That said, he's still just 23 (24 on Aug. 1), and the question remains whether the Duke product has more untapped potential.
One thing he's never lacked is confidence. He told Woike back in April that he grew up with a "chip on [his] shoulder" because of his famous dad, former NBA guard and current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, and that morphed into his current approach.
"Some have a lot more confidence than others...and I think I'm one of those people who have a lot more than others," he said. "That's just the way I am."
Rivers also shot down the idea his last name helped him along the way: "Man, I was nice before I got here. C'mon, man. I was the No. 1 player in high school. Go look at the facts. People just want to take that away, but I worked for this. I earned it."
Given his self-assured mindset, the decision to decline his player option and test the free-agent market didn't come as much surprise.
In the end, Rivers decided there weren't any opportunities more promising than the one available with the Clippers. He'll look to build off the progress he made last season to earn a more prominent role in the rotation.
He has a chance to become the first guard off the bench if Jamal Crawford joins another team, barring any more notable additions.
Although the Clippers must still find ways to upgrade the roster to compete in the West, re-signing Rivers prevents them from having to fill a key bench void.
