Austin Rivers bids farewell in Instagram post after trade

Austin Rivers was traded to the Washington Wizards by his own father’s team on Tuesday, and if he’s bitter about the move he is not showing it.

Following the trade that sent him to Washington in exchange for veteran big man Marcin Gortat, Rivers thanked the Clippers organization, his teammates and the fans for their support over the last four seasons. He also wrote about how much it meant to play for his father, Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

Wow, I really don’t know where to start or how to put all of my emotions and feelings into words . But I’ll just start out by saying Thank You, first and foremost to the city of LA and to the fans of the LA Clippers. You have done nothing but show me love and positivity. The acceptance you gave me along with taking a chance on me 4 years ago, means the world to me! At that time I hadn’t shown much in the league….and was still trying to learn . And for you all to accept me and give me a chance to grow and play means more than you will ever know. People really don’t understand what positivity can do for someone’s confidence. And to the clippers fan base…. I really appreciate you all helping me find my confidence in the league and cheering me along the way. I know the scenario of me playing for my pops wasn’t easy for people to understand and accept ….some never will, but to the ones who did… I can’t thank you enough. Me and pops did something that has never been done in our sport!! Which was hard for a lot of people to understand but I am grateful for the time I experienced playing for him and the clippers. I want to thank all of my team mates aka my brothers. I Really appreciate y’all helping me grow as a player and a person! I also want to thank all of the coaches and all of the staff of the clippers organization! A lot of you don’t get the credit you deserve! From the great training staff, to all the people that make our job and life that much easier, I really am thankful!! Always will love LA and consider it a home! Thanks -AR25 M.o.a.M

A post shared by Austin Rivers (@austinjrivers) on Jun 26, 2018 at 10:30pm PDT

“I know the scenario of me playing for my pops wasn’t easy for people to understand and accept ….some never will, but to the ones who did… I can’t thank you enough,” Rivers said. “Me and pops did something that has never been done in our sport!! Which was hard for a lot of people to understand but I am grateful for the time I experienced playing for him and the clippers.”

Rivers saw his role increase over the past four seasons, and he averaged a career-high 15.1 points per game last season while starting 59 games. It’s no coincidence that the Clippers finally decided to trade him after Jerry West joined the team’s front office, as Doc was the primary decision maker on roster moves prior to that.

Folks on Twitter got a kick out of the Clippers shipping Doc’s son out of town, but Kudos to Austin for handling it with class.