Doc Rivers Says He Wasn't Thrilled When Clippers Traded for Lou Williams in 2017

With plenty of downtime as the NBA remains on hiatus, Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers took some time to chat with the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman podcast and offered some brutally honest thoughts on how he felt about some of the players brought in on his watch. 

In particular, Rivers couldn't stand guard Lou Williams when he joined L.A. in the Chris Paul trade with Houston. It's wild to think about that in 2020 when Williams is a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year and the Clippers rely on him more than ever, yet Rivers certainly had his reasons.

"When we traded for Lou, I was not having Lou," Rivers said (h/t Sports Illustrated's Garrett Chorpenning). "I saw a guy that kept getting traded. And I appreciated his offense, but not nearly, never thought it was this good... When he finally showed up three days before training camp, I was not having him. I was like, 'We're not gonna work', you know?"

Eventually, things got to the point where the coach and the guard couldn't go on any longer without sitting down together and hashing things out. 

Where Rivers might have initially felt it was a chance for Williams to get his act together, it was the coach who was left speechless at the end.  

"I brought him up in the office and I told him my feelings," Rivers said. "I said, 'Lou, you're one of these guys that wanna do whatever you wanna do, and you don't want to buy-in. We asked everybody to come in. Everyone did except for you... I don't know how this is gonna work.' And he said, 'I've been traded five years in a row. Why would I buy-in to you?', and I didn't have an answer."

Needless to say, both sides were able to work things out, and it could not have been more important for Los Angeles. Even before Kawhi Leonard and Paul George decided to join forces on the Clippers, Williams had become a linchpin of the team and one of Rivers' most trusted assets. 

In 2020, Williams has remained as crucial to L.A.'s success as anyone, averaging 18.7 points and 5.7 assists while playing just shy of 30 minutes per night. That's on par with what he's done over the last two years, which earned him back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year honors. 

For someone who couldn't stick on one roster to start his career, Williams will likely be best remembered for his time with the Clippers whenever the 33-year-old's run comes to a close.

Rivers is hoping that won't be too soon. After not understanding what he had on his hands when the team acquired Williams, he now has one of the most valuable tools in the league locked into his system.