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Doc Rivers is reaching an agreement with his son, Austin, on a contract that will bring him back to the Clippers.
Hearing that the Clippers remain in pursuit of Josh Smith as well on top of their planned signings today of Cole Aldrich and Austin Rivers
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 10, 2015
Reports indicate that it is a short-term contract which will allow Austin to hit free agency again next year, when the salary cap skyrockets and the Clippers have his full bird rights. Currently, because the 4th year of his rookie scale contract was declined, they can only offer him up to $3.1 million (the value of the declined option).
If Austin Rivers re-signs with Clippers, as expected, I'm told it will likely be a short-term deal that lets him hit free agency again soon.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 10, 2015
Here is what I wrote recently when I included him as one of 5 free agents for Clippers fans to keep an eye on:
Doogie had an interesting storyline last season: initially, he was a joke in the eyes of many, and his acquisition was widely criticized. However he demonstrated some signs of life during his half-season on the team, using quickness and energy to be a plus on-ball defender and get to the basket (even if he struggled to convert). Turning 23 soon with three years of NBA experience, he's one of the only prospects the Clippers have, and if he can continue to develop in a reserve role under his father's coaching and Chris Paul's tutelage, he could establish himself as a player who belongs in this league and kick off a good career.
Because the final option year of Rivers' rookie-scale contract was declined before the Clippers acquired him, they can only use their bird rights to give him the equivalent of that option year, which is about $3.1 million. Any other team could use cap room or their mid-level exception to top that offer, and given what we've seen this summer, anything is possible.
UPDATE 7/12/2015 at 10:29 AM PST:
Woj has confirmed that Austin Rivers will return.
Free agent Austin Rivers has agreed on a deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league source tells Yahoo Sports
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 12, 2015
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Austin Rivers has agreed to a two-year, $6.4M deal with Clippers, league source tells Yahoo.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/620286854017908736">July 12, 2015</a></blockquote>