As part of a recent podcast appearance with The Ringer, Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers detailed his affinity for the city of Houston. However, the former No. 10 overall pick also noted his interest in hitting the open market.
Rivers, now 28 years of age, signed a two-year deal last offseason, and he has a $2.4 million player option for this upcoming season. During his podcast appearance, he explained why he is planning to opt out and become a free agent:
“I definitely want to be out there on the market, and just see what else is out there,” Rivers said, via SB Nation’s The Dream Shake. “But I love Houston. Houston’s still one of my main options. That’s a team I loved playing for. But there’s other teams out there that you want to look at. You owe it to yourself to at least see the best situation.”
By his own words, it seems as though Rivers would still be open to the idea of playing for the Rockets. However, he is clearly interested in hitting the open market. If he does, there will likely be several teams interested in his services.
A solid option off the bench, Rivers averaged 8.7 points on 41.8 percent from the field (34.0 percent from beyond the arc), 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in his two seasons with the Rockets. Fans in Houston loved his passion for the game, and he enjoyed playing for former head coach Mike D’Antoni.
The NBA has announced that free agency is set to begin on Nov. 20. For now, though, we’ll have to wait and see where Rivers will be playing.
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