Hello and welcome to the Evening News.
As we get set for the NBA draft, we’ll keep you updated every evening.
What’s happening today?
Celtics after Josh Smith
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Boston Celtics have a sign-and-trade offer prepared for the Atlanta Hawks’ Josh Smith.
The Celtics’ pursuit of Smith is contingent on Boston’s ability to trade Paul Pierce this week to a team under the salary cap. 
If Boston can find a team with cap space willing to take on Pierce’s $15.3 million for next season, the Celtics will receive a trade exception worth Pierce’s salary.
Until the Celtics find a suitor for Pierce, they lack the cap space to sign Smith outright.
The Celtics have been targeting Smith for several seasons and were previously linked to him at the trade deadline. Rumors surfaced in February saying the Celtics were trying to trade Pierce for Smith straight up.
Smith and Rajon Rondo played high school basketball together at Oak Hill and continue to be good friends off the court.
Meanwhile, two of the teams with the most cap space available and the strongest interest in Pierce, Cleveland and Milwaukee, have been called “longshots” to acquire the 10-time All Star.
Pierce has stated that he only wants to go to a contender and neither Cleveland nor Milwaukee appear to have the pieces in place for a championship run next season.
Smith’s days in Atlanta look to be coming to an end. As I wrote following the Hawks’ elimination from the playoffs, Smith’s final game was a near-perfect microcosm of his tenure with his hometown team. If Danny Ferry can acquire an asset or two by letting Smith go, he will take the best offer that comes his way.
Grizzlies name Joerger as head coach
ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz reports that the Memphis Grizzlies have reached an agreement to promote David Joerger from assistant to head coach. 
The move does not come as a total surprise. After the team decided to let Lionel Hollins go two weeks ago, many speculated Memphis would promote Joerger.
Joerger has spent the past six seasons with the Grizzlies and has been considered the team’s defensive coordinator since 2010-2011.
While the Grizzlies also interviewed Alvin Gentry and Ed Pinckney for the job, Joerger had been rumored as the overwhelming favorite all along.
Don’t expect Hollins to congratulate his successor. Earlier in the month, there were insunuations from Hollins’ camp saying Joerger betrayed the coach.
Hollins on Joerger: “He wasn’t a defensive coach until I made him the defensive coach.” Yikes.
— Geoff Calkins (@geoff_calkins) June 3, 2013
Rivers signs contract with Clippers
Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Doc Rivers has officially signed his three-year, $21 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. 
A press conference to introduce the coach is expected to take place tomorrow morning.
Rivers’ contract will also give him the title of Clippers’ senior vice president of basketball operations.
Regardless, don’t expect to see Kevin Garnett follow Rivers to Los Angeles any time soon:
Doc Rivers’ compensation agreement states that Celtics and Clippers can’t exchange players until the end of the ’13-’14 season, source says.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) June 25, 2013
