Jeff Green goes from Celtics to Grizzlies in three-team, four-player trade
Working late Friday and for a good portion of the day on Saturday, the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans agreed on the framework of a four-player trade that will send forward Jeff Green from the Celtics to the Grizzlies, a person familiar with the deal told Paste BN Sports.
The Pelicans will send guard Austin Rivers to the Celtics, and Boston will also receive forward Tayshaun Prince and his expiring contract from the Grizzlies, who will trade guard-forward Quincy Pondexter to the Pelicans.
The Celtics are also working on a deal that would send Rivers, the No. 10 pick in the 2012 draft, to the Los Angeles Clippers, where Rivers would play for his dad, Clippers coach Doc Rivers. There are some salary cap difficulties on the Clippers' end because the Celtics aren't that interested in absorbing salary that extends beyond this season.
The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the trade is officially announced, which likely won't happen until Monday when the NBA office re-opens. Other teams tried to get involved in the deal but could never make it work, and the three teams ended up satisfied with the structure of the deal.
Green goes to a likely playoff team who can use his help. Memphis has long been interested in him, and Green gives the Grizzlies a more dynamic – though inconsistent – wing player. It could also be a better fit for Green, who won't have to be the top player and might flourish offensively behind center Marc Gasol, forward Zach Randolph and guard Mike Conley.
Rivers' time with the Pelicans had come to an end, and New Orleans and Rivers, who will be an unrestricted free agent in July, had been searching for a way to split. Rivers needs a fresh start to see if there's a place for him to be productive.
Boston, which also gets a first-round pick, has been busy the past three weeks. It traded guard Rajon Rondo, acquired forward Brandan Wright, then traded Wright on Friday and now will unload Green – all in the name of creating more cap space and compiling draft picks.
The Celtics will have at least two first-round picks in the June draft, possibly three first-round picks in 2016 and multiple second-round picks in the next two drafts. Boston is trying to rebuild on the fly with young players and the ability to spend in free agency this summer.
ESPN first reported the trade.