Could Celtics get compensation if Doc Rivers leaves for another team?

If Doc Rivers leaves, it will leave a gaping hole in the franchise and might even spur the beginnings of a full rebuilding process. If that is so, perhaps ironically, his departure might in fact help that same process. If a team like the Clippers or Nets wants him badly enough, they might be willing to surrender picks to compensate the Celtics for the right to speak to him.

Since he's still under contract, the Celtics can (and have) deny permission to other teams to speak with him.

Celtics Insider | Boston Herald

As for Rivers' next move should he leave the Celts, it's important to note he has said his choice is between coaching here or not coaching at all. If he has changed that position, however, it wouldn’t be as simple as quitting the C's and stepping onto, say, the Clippers' bench. Rivers is still under contract with the Celtics, and the club sees him as a major asset. Therefore, the franchise would need to get compensation of its liking to let him coach another NBA team before the 2016-17 season.

Doc Rivers to Clippers? Not so fast - latimes.com

Another issue for the Clippers to consider would be any sort of compensation the Celtics might require for Rivers if he walked away from his contract. One NBA executive said the Celtics might ask the Clippers for two first-round draft picks over a three- or four-year period.

I had always thought that he would take a year off, go into broadcasting, and come back with any number of jobs to pick from. But perhaps if he's that eager for change and sees a position that he would enjoy, maybe he would give it a shot.

And if he does go to the Clippers, might they be willing to make a swap for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce? Maybe that Stephen A. Smith wasn't so crazy after all.