Paul Pierce Signs With Clippers

Well, it looks like Paul Pierce will get to play with his former coach, Doc Rivers, for the foreseeable future. Pierce just agreed to a three-year, $10.6 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that will be officially signed on July 9, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne.

Paul Pierce Signs Deal With Clippers

It was unclear whether or not Pierce was even coming back, as he consistently expressed uncertainty about his basketball future. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore,” Pierce told ESPN. “These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.”

However, it appears the ability to play for Rivers, who coached him for nine years in Boston and won a championship with him in 2008, and the chance to play in front of his home town crowd proved too good to pass up. On top of this, many expect Pierce’s veteran leadership, which was monumental in Washington, to give the Clippers the necessary positive push.

Simply, Paul Pierce, no matter what he said about his uncertain future, took the inconsistent Wizards to the Eastern Conference semifinals and nearly defeated the Atlanta Hawks. He showed flashes of genius — aka hitting a game winner — while also settling in to his background role.

He changed the culture in Washington so much that they wanted to re-sign him this offseason: “He’s a great leader, great mentor,” John Wall stated. “Just seeing his competitive drive and how hard he works, being the first and last guy here, never making excuses, that is something we can use.

But he is now taking his talents to Los Angeles: let’s see if he can make a difference with the fairly immature Clippers.