Believe it or not, coaching your son in the NBA isn’t exactly the greatest idea. And that might have cost Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers his star point guard.
The Clippers reportedly agreed to trade Paul to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and the reason became pretty clear in a Facebook post from ESPN’s Michael Eaves.
Eaves reported that the relationship between Paul and Rivers had soured because of two main issues — Rivers’ son, Clippers guard Austin Rivers, and a potential Carmelo Anthony trade that fell through.
Eaves wrote that Clippers players felt Austin Rivers acted “entitled” with his dad as the coach and president of basketball operations, and there was some obvious resentment that played out on the court, too. Paul specifically had an issue with how Doc Rivers treated his son versus his treatment of other players on the team, according to Eaves.
Then came the opportunity to acquire Anthony and Sasha Vujacic from the New York Knicks for Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers, according to Eaves. Doc Rivers declined that trade, and he now “despises Doc,” a league executive told Eaves.
Eaves also reported that Paul opted into the final year of his contract and pressured the trade to happen, which means he’ll have more options next season once he becomes a free agent.
And then there’s the LeBron James angle. Eaves pointed out that this gives Paul more flexibility to potentially team up with James after next season if he so chooses, and that the Clippers could be that destination, as long as Doc Rivers is gone.
You can read Eaves’ entire Facebook post below.
Thumbnail photo Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
