Prior to Friday's protest of coach John Kuester, Rip Hamilton had the opportunity to find himself a new coach, but he apparently turned that option down.
According to Marc Stein, the Pistons and Cavaliers agreed to a trade before Thursday's deadline that would have sent Hamilton to Cleveland along with a first-round pick as compensation for taking his $12 million contract off their hands.
The Cavaliers were apparently willing to buy Hamilton's contract out immediately, with Boston interested as a potential suitor thereafter.
Hamilton, however, declined to consider a buyout and killed the deal.
The Celtics' activity at the deadline largely focused on freeing up financial space to acquire a buyout or free agent player — potentially a bench scorer of Hamilton's caliber.
Hamilton has not been in the Pistons lineup for quite some time, despite his expensive contract.
