LOS ANGELES -- After weeks of negotiations and intrigue, Doc Rivers has officially left the Boston Celtics for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rivers will be introduced as the Clippers' new coach and senior vice president of basketball operations at a news conference at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday at their Playa Vista training complex, capping a lengthy process by completing a rare trade involving a championship-winning coach.

Rivers spoke with ESPNBoston.com's Jackie MacMullan, discussing his departure from the Celtics.

"It was just time,'' Rivers answered. "I really don't think it would be fair to get into all of that right now. I made a decision to talk with all of the Boston media following my press conference with the Clippers (on Wednesday) and I will honor that.

"I'll explain it to everyone then. But to say I was dying to get out of Boston, dying to leave the Celtics, is just wrong. That's not how it was. That's not how I felt.''

Boston's front office mostly had warm words for Rivers after he took off for his exciting new team on the West Coast, apparently not eager to stick around for the aging Celtics' rebuilding process.

"We don't have a championship without Doc Rivers coaching," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' president of basketball operations. "He did an unbelievable job. He has a long history of great success with us in the last nine years, and we wish him the best in Los Angeles."

The completion of the deal that sent Rivers to the Clippers from the Celtics was delayed Monday night because the longtime coach and his representatives were still negotiating the language of his contract, sources told MacMullan.