Houston Rockets Sign Austin Rivers

While Rivers will take a load off of Brandon Knight, the addition has raised some concerns due to his contentious history with Chris Paul.

Austin Rivers of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket
Getty

Image via Getty/Ned Dishman

Austin Rivers of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket

After telling sources he's in no rush to sign with a team that won't be in playoff contention, Austin Rivers' wishes were granted when he signed to the Houston Rockets on Sunday (Dec. 23). 

Sources tell me that Austin Rivers has had several teams reach out about joining them for the rest of the season. Rivers plans to take his time choosing his next team. Would like to find a playoff contender where he can have a role and play regular minutes.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 21, 2018

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Rivers and the Rockets have agreed to a guaranteed deal for the rest of the season with the team. This news comes after Rivers and Phoenix Suns agreed the former-Washington Wizard fit better with a more veteran team. And while Rivers will take a load off of Brandon Knight, the addition has raised some concerns as Rivers and the Rockets' focal piece Chris Paul have had a chaotic history that dates back to their time as teammates on the LA Clippers

Sources have been on record stating that during their time as teammates, Paul felt Rivers had a sense of entitlement because his father Doc Rivers was the coach of the Clippers. This resulted in some bad-blood that boiled over last season when Paul and the Rockets tried to use the Staples Center's secret tunnels to get into the Clippers' locker room following a heated game.

Despite their past, those close to the team say Paul had no objections to Rivers coming to the Rockets, and it is assumed that he will help stabilize the team while CP3 is out with a strained hamstring. 

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