Clippers restart talks with Celtics on Kevin Garnett-Doc Rivers deal
With a full understanding that free agent Chris Paul wants this deal completed, the Los Angeles Clippers re-engaged the Boston Celtics on the Kevin Garnett-Doc Rivers negotiations on Wednesday afternoon, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Clippers walked away from the talks on Monday morning, insisting that Boston's asking price of DeAndre Jordan and two first-round picks was too steep of a price for Garnett.
Clippers management believed Boston would eventually come back to them out of a belief that the Celtics-Rivers relationship would be difficult to repair, but league sources told Y! Sports that Paul's desire to play for Rivers – and with Garnett – has been a significant motivator for Los Angeles.
The Clippers have negotiated a five-year, $35 million deal with Rivers that could be worth as much as $8 million annually with incentives, sources said. Garnett will waive his no-trade clause to be a part of the deal. The Clippers would have to pay a $3.5 million trade kicker on Jordan's contract.
Behind the scenes, there have been several factions trying to restart the talks, and everyone involved – the Clippers, Celtics and Rivers – have been waiting for someone to make the first move, sources said.
"The money is not a hang-up in this right now," a league source told Yahoo! Sports. "It's about the draft pick."
The Celtics have insisted on two first-round draft picks in the deal, but the Clippers have wanted to include only one.
Privately, Clippers officials are expressing a stronger optimism about getting a deal complete, sources said.
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