Even with the deal all but wrapped with a bow, Doc Rivers cannot start shopping for real estate in greater Los Angeles just yet.
The proposed deal for the Celtics to free Rivers from his contract to coach the Clippers has yet to be finalized because the NBA is still awaiting paperwork from the teams, the Boston Herald reports. Although the terms were agreed to Sunday night, the league still had not received the final proposal as of Monday afternoon.
After more than a week of back-and-forth negotiations, the Celtics and Clippers were believed to have come to an agreement on Sunday to send a 2015 unprotected first-round pick to the Celtics in exchange for the rights to sign Rivers. In keeping with the hectic nature of the situation, reports conflicted as to whether Rivers would sign a five-year, $35 million deal with the Clippers — matching the one he signed with the Celtics in 2010 — or a three-year, $21 million deal to jibe with the duration of his existing contract.
The Rivers deal is not in jeopardy, a source told the Herald’s Mark Murphy, but it has held up what was believed to be a done deal. The Celtics were expected to have a news conference on Monday, but the likelihood of that quickly faded.
