Report: Rockets guard Austin Rivers opts out, will become free agent

If guard Austin Rivers is going to return to the Houston Rockets, it will be under a new and improved contract. 

According to The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears (h/t ESPN), Rivers has elected to opt out of his deal and explore free agency. Per RotoWire Staff, the 28-year-old who joined the Rockets in December 2018 was set to earn $2.37 million during the 2020-21 season under his previous agreement. 

Rivers averaged 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 68 regular-season appearances and four starts during the pandemic-altered campaign. He shot 35.6 percent from three-point land and 42.1 percent from the field. 

It's likely, if not guaranteed, that Rivers will be linked with the Philadelphia 76ers, where his father, Doc Rivers, became head coach in early October. There's also the possibility that he could play under former Houston coach Mike D’Antoni, who became an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets near the end of that same month. 

With the futures of unsettled superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden hanging in the balance, however, Rivers could find that his best financial decision is to stay put if the Rockets show him the money.