Austin Rivers says he took less money to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rivers received interest from the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

“I took less to come back here,” he said. “... I’m not taking this for granted. I was on a team where it was very bad. There are only four or five teams in the league with a realistic chance to win this year, and I think we’re one of them. I’m not taking this for granted. I know if I go somewhere else, I might not ever be on a team like this again. A lot of people go their whole career and never play on a team like this.”

Doc Rivers thought the Clippers could lose his son to the lure of more minutes and a bigger role.

“He could’ve had that opportunity,” Doc Rivers said. “For him to come back, it shows that winning is far more important and he enjoys the group.”

Austin says it is actually harder to play for his father than it would be for another coach.

“It’s the complete opposite. People who think that are (expletive) idiots. It actually gets me angry,” he said. “You can say it. ‘People are idiots.’ You can write that one down.

“I haven’t played for him my whole life, so it’s not like I had it easy. The whole rest of my career – when I was still successful – the No. 1 player in high school, one of the top five, top 10 players in college at Duke. I wasn’t with my father. I haven’t had it easy.”