The Los Angeles Clippers are engaged in discussions with the Boston Celtics on a deal that would involve Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers.

The Clippers would send DeAndre Jordan and two first round picks to the Celtics for Garnett and the right to hire Rivers as their head coach.

Garnett is willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Donald Sterling is prepared to pay Rivers an annual salary of $7 million.

The Celtics are also seeking the inclusion of Eric Bledsoe, but the Clippers want to include him in another package.

The Celtics and Rivers seek a resolution to the talks within the next few days.

The Sacramento Kings and Pete D'Alessandro have reached a deal for him to become general manager.

D'Alessandro beat out Chris Wallace and others for the job.

D'Alessandro was most recently with the Denver Nuggets' front office after previously working for the Golden State Warriors.

Mike Malone had some input in the process that led to the Kings' hiring of D'Alessandro.

D'Alessandro was first hired by the Warriors due to his relationship with Chris Mullin.

The Los Angeles Lakers have rebuffed overtures from the Los Angeles Clippers about a sign-and-trade for Dwight Howard.

Howard and Chris Paul have reportedly been in touch about the possibility of playing with each other next season.

"They will never do it," said a source on the Lakers' interest in working with the Clippers on a Howard trade.

Howard will be a free agent and the Lakers hope to re-sign him.

Sources have told ESPN's Marc Stein that the Clippers would want to trade Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe to the Lakers for Howard. 

The Atlanta Hawks named Darvin Ham their new assistant coach on Saturday.

Ham joins the staff of Mike Budenholzer.

“Darvin has a great feel for the game and knows what it takes for a team to be successful and compete at a high level," Budenholzer said. “He was a smart player who played with intensity and toughness every night and he has gone about coaching the same way.”

Ham played eight years in the NBA and spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Doc Rivers has a non-compete clause in his contract with the Boston Celtics.

The clause reads that Rivers cannot work for another NBA team for the duration of his contract. Rivers has three years and $21 million remaining on the deal.

Danny Ainge could allow Rivers to leave and become head coach of another team in exchange for draft picks and cash considerations.

Mikhail Prokhorov sees a budding coaching star in Jason Kidd because of the former Nets guard's knowledge and playing experience.

“The point is that there are people who are born coaches,” Prokhorov said. “And it is known that Jason Kidd was in fact a player-coach on many teams. And he has been training for a long time. He has played under many coaches, and he has always wanted to be a coach.”

Prokhorov thinks Kidd will bring star power to the Nets sideline.

“Despite all the N.B.A.’s competitive potential, they lack a little bit of star coaches,” he said. “Of course, we are very glad that now, together with our fans, we can grow up a new star and finally, naturally, win the N.B.A.”

The Utah Jazz invited 24 players to participate in a free agent minicamp this week.

Travis Leslie, Luke Zeller and Lazar Hayward were among the players who attended the free agent bonanza.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see a handful of these guys from this camp on an NBA roster on opening night next year,” Jazz head scout David Fredman said. “Now, whose roster? I don't know, These guys are guys that have enough talent in the right place at the right time they could be on an NBA roster easily."

Dennis Lindsey suggested the minicamp after coming to Utah from the Spurs organization.

"They had some success doing it in San Antonio. Dennis had the idea when he came here to do it," Fredman said. "It's no earth-shattering thing. It's just we're doing it now in Utah."

The Jazz only have six players with guaranteed contracts for the 2013-14 season.

With 12 of the 30 NBA teams changing coaches since the end of the regular season, Erik Spoelstra ripped the coaching turnover that has gone on, calling it a "terrible state for the profession right now."

"[For] true success in the NBA, you must have consistency of culture," he said. "When you see that type of turnover over and over and over, it's impossible to create any kind of sustainable consistent culture. And we don't see it as a coincidence."

Spoelstra compared the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs as two organizations that have stability starting at the coaching spot.

"San Antonio has been the same way for 15 years with Pop in charge," Spoelstra said. "We don't see it as coincidence.

"I think it's really a shame for the profession of coaching that it's been so volatile. But I'm also very grateful that our organization doesn't behave in that manner."

Dwyane Wade scored 32 points in a resurgent performance for him and the Miami Heat's big three on Thursday, and he believes Game 5 will be the best game of this NBA Finals series.

"I think Game 5 should be the best game of the series," Dwyane Wade said. "Both teams should come out knowing each other, knowing what each other want to do, and it should be a very good game."

The Heat and San Antonio Spurs are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5.

"Game 5 is going to be a big game," Chris Bosh said. "I think we just have to stay in the place that we're in."

The Phoenix Suns may be targeting a post player in the NBA draft.

Jeff Hornacek recently hired Mark West and Roy Rogers to be part of his staff, suggesting a commitment to developmental work with young post players.

"Having two bigs coaches is kind of interesting in terms of where they might be going in the draft," one league personnel executive said.

Ryan McDonough suggested the Suns will avoid using the fifth and 30th picks on players who occupy similar areas of the floor.