Entering the day, league sources said there was little hope that a deal could be made, and the Celtics announced a noon press conference with Rivers and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge at the team’s practice facility in Waltham.
About an hour before that event, though, the Celtics canceled the press conference.
Why? The Clippers wanted to talk again.
A day earlier, the Clippers had moved their focus from trying to obtain Rivers and Kevin Garnett to just Rivers; but, in a bizarre move, the Clippers were also refusing to offer any compensation for Rivers, according to a league source.
It made sense, though, that if the Clippers were calling back a day later, they would have an enticing offer to make.
That wasn’t the case.
The Celtics have demanded at least one first-round pick in exchange for releasing Rivers from his contract — and in a prior offer, the Clippers essentially agreed to free up that asset if it meant attaining the services of the top-tier coach, league sources said.
Yet the Clippers’ offer as of Friday was a second-round pick — and it didn’t appear as though they were budging, just as the Celtics weren’t willing to budge either, a league source said.