Washington Wizards: They Will Be Fine Without Pierce

The offseason is a handful of games away from being a reality in the NBA. For 28 teams, including the Washington Wizards, the offseason is already here, since their season has come to an premature end.

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So, what’s next? Roster moves, coaching changes, and a look at what didn’t go perfectly right last year. The Wizards had another year of failing to make it to the conference finals, and are now at risk of losing some of their best veteran players.

Among these players is Paul Pierce, a veteran who will likely find himself in the Hall of Fame once his career is completed.

From the looks of it, it seems like Pierce is having second opinions about coming back as a Wizard, or at all next year. After claiming the losing in the playoffs was emotionally and physically exhausting, it was clear he was extremely open to new plans, including the idea of retirement.

Paul Pierce says he's not sure at the moment if he'll return next yr. "A lot has to do with my family, talking to my wife, kids, my mother."
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 16, 2015

Now, it looks like retirement probably won’t happen, but the idea of him opting out of his contract in Washington to seek employement elsewhere is a reality.

Rumors surfaced that Pierce was attracted to the idea of playing with the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite the fact that the Western Conference is a more rigourous fight to make the Finals, he could have better opportunity with Los Angeles and what they have built so far with an All-Star cast of players featuring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

It appears to be largely just speculation at this point, started by David Aldridge. In one of his columns for NBA.com, Aldridge brought attention to reasons Pierce would want to end his career with the Clips:

"“Maybe Paul Pierce will walk away from the second year of his deal ($5.5 million) in Washington in order to finish his career in his hometown, playing for his old Celtics coach and his former teammate-turned-Clippers assistant Sam Cassell for less money.”"

After this column came out, several outlets started reporting that Pierce was very interested in the idea of playing with the Clippers, but I still believe it’s all maybe, just as Aldridge put it in the first place.

If he is truly thinking of opting out, how do the Wizards cope without Pierce? They lose a lot without him on the team. His veteran presence is immense. In addition to that, he offers some on-the-court qualities that are hardly replacable, including the fact that he was a huge clutch factor this year, often hitting big shots late in the game that kept the Wizards in the running.

Although losing him has some drawbacks, there’s a lot to be excited about if Pierce decides to “take his talents” elsewhere.

His veteran presence is easily replaceable. There’s the idea of the Wizards re-signing free agent Drew Gooden, who offers the same veteran mindset that Pierce brought to the team. He was a clear leader off the bench as the Wizards entered the playoffs.

Another bright spot in losing Pierce is young player Otto Porter, who will probably get a big time minute spike if Pierce isn’t around. Porter has only been in the league for two years, but is already showing that he has what it takes to become a consistent player in the league.

Porter only averaged six points per game this year, but really started to hit his stride in the playoffs, right when they needed him most. In five of the Wizards’ playoff games, he got double digit points, averaging 10 points per game throughout the playoffs, an impressive jump up from his regular season numbers.

In addition to 10 points per game, he also averaged eight rebounds per game throughout the playoffs, after averaging just three during the regular season.

Here’s one huge game for him where he had 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, during the playoffs.

Porter exemplifies the young feel that the Wizards bring to the table. Led by John Wall and Bradley Beal, they have a lot of young pieces to make themselves great, with or without Pierce. If he doesn’t want to be a part of the team, they have the potential to be just fine without him.

Another replaceable feature of Pierce is his statistical value for the team. He averaged 12 points per game and a handful of rebounds. This is something plenty of players from the Wizards have the potential of producing. What the real loss will be is the placement of the points, as Pierce was often the go-to guy for big game-winning shots.

Of course, losing any big player almost always gives you one key component of running a basketball team. Money. Although in the past Pierce has made a lot more money in the past compared to his earnings now, he still is taking up $5 million next year. That’s money they can put towards paying another player who could statistically put up the same numbers as Pierce, through free agency, which is loaded with options this year.

All in all, Piece appears to be at least thinking about some other options that he has. Losing him is a big hit, but it’s not something that will cause the Wizards to simply fall apart on its own. They have a young, versatile cast of players, and they will prevail, with or without Pierce.

Next: 5 Reasons The Wizards Should Sign Drew Gooden

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Washington Wizards Will Be Fine Without Paul Pierce

By Josh Wilson | Jun 1, 2015

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