Paul Pierce will retire a member of the Boston Celtics at the end of the 2016-17 season, he confirmed to SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Justin Termine on Wednesday. If this caught you by surprise, then you probably haven’t been paying attention — there was a real question about whether or not Pierce, who turns 39 on Thursday, would even play this season, and Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers has been saying for months that the future Hall of Famer will retire a Celtic.
On a podcast in July, Rivers, who coached Pierce for nine seasons in Boston before reuniting with him in Los Angeles last year, told The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski that “we’re going to make sure that Boston picks him up for one day and he retires a Celtic, because that’s what he should retire as.” In September, Rivers repeated that it’s important for Pierce to officially be a member of the Celtics when he calls it quits, via the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
Pierce announced his intention to play one final season on The Players’ Tribune a couple of weeks ago. Until now, however, he had not publicly endorsed Rivers’ plan. This feels inevitable, though, and it’s still a little weird that he didn’t spend his entire career with the Celtics. Pierce spent 15 seasons in Boston before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2013. He only spent one year in Brooklyn, signing with the Washington Wizards in 2014 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015. He’ll be remembered best for winning a championship in Boston in 2008.
Here’s a question: Why can’t the Celtics and Clippers work out a trade now? Sure, Los Angeles would like to have his experience come playoff time, but it probably needs young talent more. A Pierce-for-James Young trade works straight up, and Boston could throw in Gerald Green if need be. This probably won’t happen, but it would be awesome.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
