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Brooklyn Nets: Billy King Talks Paul Pierce Departure

By Bradley Popkin

Apr 27, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (34) reacts against the Toronto Raptors during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. The Raptors defeated the Nets 87-79. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (34) reacts against the Toronto Raptors during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. The Raptors defeated the Nets 87-79. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Paul Pierce played only one season for the Brooklyn Nets after they acquired him from the Boston Celtics in June of last year.

The man they call, “The Truth,” had numerous career lows last season but that was perhaps due to the amount of talent around him or that he played out of position. All excuses aside, Pierce was an important contributor for Brooklyn and one that came up with important plays when the team depended on it. The plan, according to general manager Billy King, was to re-sign Pierce. However, that’s not how things played out.

"“I think as we started negotiations, with the numbers that they asked for, I thought at one point he was definitely leaving,” King said at an NBA Cares event on Monday."

Then, King says he started to approach future personnel decisions as if he wasn’t expecting the future Hall of Famer back. Pierce had never been a free agent before and chose the opportunity to win now over who could offer him the most money.

May 12, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) in the first half in game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) in the first half in game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington ended up signing the soon-to-be 37-year-old to a two-year, $11 million deal. The Nets possessed his Bird rights, giving them flexibility to sign Pierce, however, that meant reaching deeper into the pockets of their owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Regardless, a trade that sent several players and multiple first-round picks to Boston, for Pierce, gives plenty of ammunition to critics.

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    • As for a sign and trade, the only way King saw that going down was “if there was a player that we were getting back that made sense for us.” Another reason Pierce left, King felt there was a “logjam” at power forward, a position Pierce played much of last season.

    Pierce reportedly drew interest from several teams around the league like the Clippers, Grizzlies and Rockets. For his new team, the Wizards, the signing filled a glaring need. Starting small forward Trevor Ariza departed in free agency to Houston. The Wizards only have Otto Porter Jr. and Martell Webster on the roster at the 3 spot.

    "“We lost Al Harrington – he didn’t even play that much, but he was instrumental in the locker room. Getting Paul fills that,” Wizards head coach Randy Wittman told NBA.com. “He’s a voice who’s been through it. I think he still has the ability to really help us on the floor but he can help us off the floor, too."

    The average age of the Wizards’ roster is 28. Pierce, 36, the veteran scorer he is, will bring plenty of intangibles and leadership to a team headed by young talent looking to make a deeper playoff run in the Eastern Conference.

    The Nets will prosper even without such an integral part of their success last season. Brook Lopez will be looking to regain his old form, and with a head coach like Lionel Hollins, one can expect to see the offense flow through Lopez’s hands for the early part of 2014-15.

    Hollins has penciled in Kevin Garnett as his opening day starter and Mason Plumlee made leaps and bounds in his overall game, though that is just speculation. Nets fans will need to wait to see if his improbable Team USA run and performance in the Orlando Summer League translate to the regular season.

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