Paul Pierce has agreed to a three-year deal worth $10.5 million with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 38-year old veteran is now reunited with head coach Doc Rivers, with whom Pierce won a champioship back in 2008 for the Boston Celtics.
Pierce played a huge role for the Washington Wizards last season being the veteran leader on and off the floor. Now that he will be paired with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, he could be the deciding factor to get the Clippers over the hump, not to mention if DeAndre Jordan decides to resign as well.
Last season, he took a hit statistically averging 11.9 points 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game but just his presence alone for the Wizards was most valuable. Although it was one of the worst seasons for Pierce statistically, he still was key in making big shots during crunch time.
Now that he is on the Clippers, Pierce can be a consistent three-point shooter for when PG Chris Paul breaks down the defense that they have missed at the small forward position. Even though he is up in age, Pierce is still a very smart player defensively and can stay in front of quicker players depsite losing his quickness.
This move may also persuade DeAndre Jordan to resign with the team now that they are putting together pieces to contend again. Pierce will bring championship experience to a locker room that is in desperate need of it. He is the kind of player that every championship team needs, one with supreme confidence who can rally his team to play better than expected.
If the Clippers can acquire at least one more solid player in free agency while resigning Jordan, they could enter next season being one of the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.