Los Angeles Clippers' Wesley Johnson (L) and Austin Rivers. (Photo : Getty Images)
Wesley Johnson and Austin Rivers are set to join the free-agency market this summer as both players are expected to opt out of their respective contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN reported that "both players will decline their options and become (unrestricted) free agents on July 1" after a year into their separate two-year deals with the said squad. The 28-year-old Johnson is set to earn $1.2 million next season while the 23-year-old Rivers would have received $3.3 million.
The report noted that Rivers, who is the son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, wants to test the market this summer, but is said to be keen on staying with his father next season. There is a slight chance that he can change squads, though, if the right offer comes along this offseason.
Rivers averaged a career-high 8.9 points last season shooting 43.8 percent from the field while also producing numbers of 1.9 boards and 1.5 assists per night as a substitute for starting point guard Chris Paul. He played 21.9 minutes a game in 67 games last season and have started in seven matches.
Fansided noted that the younger Rivers had "earned the reputation as a relentless defender off the bench", which could lead to some offers from other NBA clubs when the free-agency period begins on July 1.
Meanwhile, Johnson is aiming to have a better salary from other teams than the veteran's minimum he is supposed to get from the Clippers next season.
The fourth overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, Johnson's career never really took off as he was not given enough opportunities to show his wares in the past four teams he had been with, namely the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Clippers.
He has played an average of 24.8 minutes per game in his entire career, but the touches he finds are not enough for him to produce the numbers he desires.
The Iowa State and Syracuse standout admitted that he wants to return to the Clippers, though, but it is not immediately known whether the club wants him back or not.
Johnson is third in Doc's pecking order at the small forward spot behind Jeff Green and Paul Pierce, so it is expected that he will remain at that status if ever he is re-signed.
