Clippers Make Point in Deal With Hawks : NBA draft: Team trades No. 9 pick and second-round picks in 1993 and 1994 to acquire guard Doc Rivers. Club then takes LeRon Ellis from Syracuse with the 22nd selection.

A search that lasted nearly a year ended Wednesday when the Clippers’ traded one of their two first-round picks in the NBA draft to Atlanta for point guard Glenn (Doc) Rivers.

Rivers was one of several point guards on a Clipper shopping list that included Derek Harper of Dallas, Pooh Richardson of Minnesota, Jay Humphries of Milwaukee and Isiah Thomas of Detroit.

Occasional forays in all of those directions were turned away until Wednesday, when the price for Rivers was the No. 9 selection in the NBA draft.

The Hawks used that choice to select 6-foot-8 forward Stacey Augmon, the second Nevada Las Vegas player taken in the draft and the three-time collegiate defensive player of the year.

In addition to the No. 9 choice, the Clippers gave up second-round selections in 1993 and 1994 for Rivers, 29, who averaged 15.2 points and 4.3 assists for Atlanta in 79 games last season. He also led the Hawks in steals with 148.

Over his eight-year NBA career, he has averaged 13 points and 6.8 assists.

The Clippers still had the 22nd overall pick, which was acquired from Phoenix via Seattle. They used that to select LeRoy Ellis of Syracuse, a 6-foot-10 center who probably will be switched to forward. Ellis was a two-year starter for the Orangemen after transferring from Kentucky. He only 11.1 points as a senior, far worse than his 16-point average as a sophomore at Kentucky. However, his stock went up with a solid performance at the Orlando draft camp.

He is the son of Leroy Ellis, a former Laker.

In Rivers, the Clippers got “a veteran who will bring great leadership,” Coach Mike Shuler said. “This man knows how to win, and I believe he will help us a great deal.”

Rivers, vacationing in Milwaukee with his family, had said he was resigned to the trade.

“If it happens, it happens, but I like Atlanta. There just doesn’t seem to be anything I can do about it,” said Rivers, who played his college basketball at Marquette. “Trades are a part of this business.”

The Clippers also traded reserve guard Winston Garland to Denver for the Nuggets’ second-round draft selection in either 1996 or 1997.

Garland, 26, averaged 8.2 points and 24.7 minutes for the Clippers last season. He was acquired from Golden State in February of 1990.

Also Wednesday, the Clippers renounced the rights to free agents Tom Garrick and Mike Smrek.