Los Angeles Clippers: Realistic Trade, Free Agency Targets
Paul Pierce, Player Option
How: Trade or Mid-Level Exception ($3.376 million taxpayer or $5.464 million non-taxpayer)
Position: Small Forward
Age: 37
Experience: 17 Seasons
Slash Line: .447/.389/.781
Season Averages: 26.2 MPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 3PM
Given the remarkable nature of his heroics in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, it’s hard to imagine the Washington Wizards being willing to give up Paul Pierce. He made clutch shot after clutch shot and emerged as Randy Wittman‘s go-to weapon in late-game situations.
The reason to believe Washington might be willing to deal him: Pierce will turn 38 in October and Otto Porter Jr., a Top 5 pick, is beginning to look like a starter. More importantly, Pierce has a player option.
Not only can he walk and negotiate with the Clippers—one of his home-state teams—but he can provide a significant presence:
Paul Pierce ends this postseason ranking 1st among all players scoring 1.303 points per possession. He turns 38 in October.
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) May 16, 2015
Assuming Washington has some measure of interest in a deal, Pierce would be the perfect addition in Los Angeles. He won a championship playing for Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics, thus bringing a measure of familiarity.
Most importantly, Pierce would give the Clippers what they lack: a player besides Chris Paul who will take big shots in big moments.
Paul is very underrated in clutch scenarios, but his workload includes scoring, facilitating and defending the opposition’s best scorer—often regardless of their size. Pierce, meanwhile, is a historically superb scorer when the game is on the line.
If Rivers can make this work, and it’d likely take Jamal Crawford and another asset to do so, he should.
Next: Returning to Los Angeles?