According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the New Orleans Pelicans are sending Austin Rivers to the Boston Celtics in the three-team deal that also includes Jeff Green going to the Memphis Grizzlies and Quincy Pondexter joining the Pelicans.
The Grizzlies will also be sending the Celtics a future first-round pick, which I’ve heard C’s general manager Danny Ainge is fond of acquiring, along with Tayshaun Prince’s expiring contract to Boston, according to Stein.
The deal, on the surface, makes a lot of sense for every team except the Pellies. New Orleans is already thin in the backcourt with Eric Gordon’s injury history and moving Rivers only puts more pressure on the former Indiana Hoosier to stay healthy as the team continues to try and make the postseason in the brutal Western Conference. Pondexter should be an upgrade over Dante Cunningham, but he’s probably not going to elevate them past the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference playoff race, either.
The Grizzlies finally get their wing upgrade, with Green being someone the team has targeted for some time according to Stein, which was the team’s only real weakness this season. Although Green will be an upgrade over the corpse of Tayshaun Prince, it’s not one that I suspect will move the needle all that much for the Grizzlies come playoff time. The former Georgetown Hoya is shooting just 30 percent from three-point land this season, so spacing the floor with Green, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen could be just as difficult as it has been with Prince.
Although, playing for a contender again could have the same sort of impact for Green that it has had for Rajon Rondo in Dallas, but only time will tell.
For the C’s, they get a former top-10 pick, a nice expiring contract and another future first-round pick to add to what’s already an enormous chest of assets lying in Danny Ainge’s office. Green was the last major move Ainge had at his disposal and flipped him for a solid haul considering how Green has played this season.
The deal may not be finalized until Monday when the league offices re-open for business, according to Stein.
