Houston Rockets: Complete 2019 offseason grades
Re-signing Austin Rivers
Several months ago, Austin Rivers found himself sitting in the confines of his home after receiving some news that would alter the course of his most recent season just days before Christmas.
The 26-year-old guard — who appeared in 29 games with the Washington Wizards last year — was shipped out and immediately waived as part of a three-player trade with the Phoenix Suns.
Now, Rivers appears to have finally found an official landing spot, as the former lottery pick who rose from adversity to provide an injury-plagued Houston Rockets roster with immediate help during the holidays is back for more.
Despite receiving lucrative offers from several other teams, Houston would find a way to agree to terms with Rivers on a two-year, $2.1 million deal per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
"“I just loved it from the beginning,” Rivers said when asked about why he re-signed with the Rockets on his Go Off podcast with Uninterrupted two weeks ago. “Most importantly, above all, I was accepted there in the franchise. The organization really made me feel at home, made my family feel at home. “They didn’t judge me with any perceptions that were out there, and wanted to judge me based off my character there. I appreciated that…just right away it clicked, right away it worked and fit.”"
Although Rivers had a reported offer for roughly $5.7 million according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, getting one the league’s top backup guards to agree on a veteran’s minimum deal could prove to be one of the biggest steals of the summer for Morey and his front office staff.
From the moment that Rivers arrived in Houston last season, the 6’4″, 200-pound product lent the Rockets bench with a major lift on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 10.9 points and 2.9 assists per game per 36 minutes through 47 appearances.
Including on the opposite end of the floor, as Rivers displayed the ability to contain and hold his own against the toughest defensive assignments throughout the course of the year in Houston’s switch-heavy defense.
"“He’s a really good defender,” Rockets guard James Harden told reporters when seeking to sum up the former Duke star’s game last season. “He can shoot the ball well. He can make plays and handle it…he’s going to have more than enough opportunities.”"
Should he take advantage of the following opportunities in a fashion akin to his initial arrival alongside Harden and a new face in the backcourt, then Rivers could possibly have a breakout season.
Then he can utilize his second-year player option to reap the benefits of taking a massive pay cut as a result.