Clippers to sign forward Darius Miller to a 10-day contract

The Clippers are acquiring a young player who has spent all three seasons of his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, but it isn’t Austin Rivers.

Small forward Darius Miller was on the verge Tuesday of signing a 10-day contract with the Clippers, according to a source close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Miller, 24, appeared in only five games this season for the Pelicans, averaging 0.4 points and 0.2 rebounds in 8.6 minutes. The former second-round pick of the Pelicans has averages of 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 102 games while shooting 42.0% in his career.

Miller represents the Clippers’ latest attempt to find a reliable backup to starting small forward Matt Barnes. Second-year forward Reggie Bullock and veteran Chris Douglas-Roberts have made minor contributions, though Douglas-Roberts missed more than a month because of a strained Achilles tendon.

The Clippers have been trying to acquire Rivers, the son of Clippers Coach Doc Rivers who was recently traded from the Pelicans to the Boston Celtics, but those efforts hinge in part on the willingness of a third team to take on the $1.8 million in salary the Clippers would need to unload to complete such a trade.

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