Official Paul Pierce 2010 Offseason thread

[112288]

Source: Boston Offering Perkins and Pick in Draft Talks
Sam Amick
Senior NBA Writer
By the time Doc Rivers announces whether he'll return as Boston's head coach, a member of his starting five might be gone.

A league front-office source told FanHouse that the Celtics have been dangling center Kendrick Perkins and their No. 19 pick to teams with high lottery picks in attempt to add a dynamic young talent to their aging core. It's a tough sell, considering Perkins is facing surgery as early as Friday after tearing his medial collateral ligament and partially tearing his posterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

If Boston general manager Danny Ainge did manage to find a suitor, it would mean Perkins' seven-year career with the Celtics would come to an end in dramatic form. He was the talk of Tinsel Town leading into Game 7 against the Lakers, when news of his absence broke and the decimated Perkins stood on his crutches and shared his raw emotions with the media.

The Celtics nearly pulled off the upset without him, in large part because of a solid game from veteran Rasheed Wallace. But as the Lakers celebrated on and around the Staples Center floor, Rivers revealed that Wallace may retire.

Boston has just six players on contract for next season but its payroll stands at approximately $63 million, and that number would be down to five if Wallace retires as expected. Shooting guard Ray Allen will be a free agent and has said he wants to return, while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis and Wallace round out the group still on the books. Pierce has a player option worth $21.5 million for the 2010-11 campaign, and he could certainly opt out if he's looking for more long-term security. While the cap number for 2010-11 won't be known until early July, it was $57.7 million last season.

Perkins has an expiring contract that will pay him $4.4 million next season, and the best case scenario for the Celtics would be to move their big man and the pick to a team with the salary cap space to absorb both and free up money for Ainge's strapped payroll. Rivers, meanwhile, has said he is leaning a particular direction in regards to his future but would not disclose which one.

With the wheels already starting to turn in what is expected to be a long and busy offseason, Celtics president Danny Ainge made the last of his regular appearances with WEEI's "The Big Show," clearing up rumors that the Phoenix Suns would be interested in his services, setting a tentative timetable on working something out with Paul Pierce, explaining that he'd like Doc Rivers to take as much time as he needs to decide whether he wants to return, and adding that the Celtics have explored moving up, down and out of the first round of tomorrow's draft.

Ainge shot down the notion that the Suns could lure him away from Boston.
With Paul Pierce in a position to opt out of the final year of his contract, Ainge sounded less certain about how that situation would play out. Pierce has until June 30 to decide whether he wants to pick up the $21 million option.

"I don’t know the answer," Ainge said. "I do have doubts. I’m not certain of what Paul may do. I don’t know, because he may able to get a long-term contract somewhere else. It may be better than what we have. I don’t know the answer. We haven’t gotten to that point. That’s something that we’ll address next week once the draft is over."

[tjmakz]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5341636

[babyskyhook]

I'm assuming this goes under the category of "nothing to see here", as I posted back in Feb in the CBA thread:

I'd be shocked if he doesn't opt out.

Cs management obviously doesn't want to extend him given his high cost, age and slowly declining productivity.

On Pierce's side, if he doesn't opt out, he makes big $$$ for one more year but then would get crushed as a FA under the new CBA the following summer. Given his age and the expected terms of the new CBA, he could be looking at something like $5m/ year.

It would make a lot of sense to me that Paul and Cs management would have a mutual interest in giving him longer years at less money b/c both sides (I'm assuming) want him to finish his career there. Something like $12m/yr for 3 yrs with a team option for a fourth year at similar $$$. If Ray took a similar (or slightly smaller deal), they'd be in good shape financially to make deals to take on salary via trade to fill in around an MLE signing and to extend Perk.

It would give the Big 3 another couple of shots at a ring while giving ownership some financial flexibility to fill in around them with stronger players to make up for the inevitable declines in their games.

I'm assuming this is still the case and that Pierce and the Cs work something out in the 3-4 year range. Same thing with Ray. That would give the Cs a lot of breathing room vis-a-vis the lux tax.

Trading Sheed for an mle-level player or Sheed plus a re-signed bench guy (Scal, Shelden Williams) for 1 yr as cap filler will bring back another solid player, and the Cs can use their mle again to bring someone else in.


Perk, MLE-level player in return for Sheed
KG, BBD
PP, MLE FA
RA, TA
RR, Bradley


That looks like a very solid roster to me, with a better bench than this past year, which would more than offset however much the starters may slow down. A definite contender.


That makes a lot more sense to me than renouncing Pierce and Ray (and TA) and having Sheed retire immediately. If they did those things, they'd have around $15-16m in cap space, but then the rest of the roster would be made up of vet min signings.


Perk, vet min FA
KG, BBD
Max FA, vet min FA
vet min FA, vet min FA
RR, BRadley


Now if that FA were Lebron or Wade, it would be worth doing, even with the rest of the roster filled in with vet min guys. But not with Bosh (or Dirk) as they duplicates KG and would leave huge holes at 2 and 3. And I don't think Joe Johnson or Gay are good enough to offset the thin roster the vet min guys everywhere else would create.

But what do you guys think ?

[tjmakz]

Boston has to give Pierce 3-4 years and probably $40m but I can't see Ray getting more then 2 years from any team.
At some point Boston needs to address their age, lack of length and lack of athleticism in the 3-5 positions.
If PP signs for $12m/year, Rasheed retires, and they renounce TA, Boston would have approx. $9m under the cap. Not enough for a top free agent. They would still have the MLE.

Memphis has already said that they will match any offer made to Rudy Gay. (Within reason).

[babyskyhook]

TJ-

you don't get the mle in years where you're under the cap.

They're better off being over and moving Sheed (and Ray if they are letting him walk) in S+t deals, b/c they would keep the MLE.

[tjmakz]

That is true. When all is said and done, I doubt Boston will be under the cap.

[RosalieTCeltics]

Pierce has opted out of his contract, so now there my question is: just how much money are they going to have to pay him to stay here? Supposedly, his opting out is a good thing for the team, spreading his money out over the
next few years, but then I hear that he can sign as a "max" player for $96 million. That doesn't sound like a great
deal to me! Paul is a terrific player, don't get me wrong, but I just don't see him as a $20 million dollar a year guy.
To be able to help the Celtics, he has to take a contract giving him less money per year, am I right? This cap stuff blows my mind!!

[beat]

Have to wait for GYSO to chime in BUT unless he plays for considerably less what good does it do this team now?

Spreading it out over the next ______ years OK but how many is tooooo many. PP is slowing down a lot I can't imagine him being very effective 3 years from now.

I'd love to see him remain a Celtic and can't imagine him in another uniform come this fall. I think something can/will be worked out.

beat

[gyso]

Rosalie,

I cannot even try to say what Pierce is going to do.

A couple possibilities:

1. I have read of one contract, a 3 year deal at 40 mil, which averages out to just over 13 mil per year. Pierce may want an extra year, say 4 years at 52 mil. That could be his last contract as he rides into the sunset. That's my choice.

2. Pierce could wait out until the biggest fish are hooked. Someone mentioned them as the "3 Stooges; Wade, Bron and Bosh" (LMC, in that order). I think that's funny, but that's just me. Anyway, Paul could see what he can get in the open market with the teams that lost out on those 3 guys. Someone may give Pierce a max contract, possibly a deal that he can't refuse!! When that comes to a difference of 10 to 20 mil over the length of the contract, who would blame him?

There is some that say Pierce isn't worth a max contract anymore. Could he carry a team on his back for an entire season? Probably not. So for the majority of the teams out there, he would not get a max deal. How close to a max contract will a team go?

Each summer since the team added Ray and KG, the Celtics have had the core in locked in place. The Celtics just had to add complimentary pieces to the core players and see how it played out. This summer, the core players are in flux. We just have to wait for each piece to fall into place and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, everyone plays GM and offers different solutions that appeal to them. Ain't it great?

gyso

[112288]

Pierce opts out of final year
Seeking long-term deal, he is unrestricted free agent

By Gary Washburn
Globe Staff / June 30, 2010
E-mail|Print|Reprints| Text size – +
Paul Pierce plans on opting out of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. He notified the Celtics through his Los Angeles-based agent Jeff Schwartz late last night.

ESPN.com first reported on the story.

Pierce’s decision, though not a surprise, throws president Danny Ainge’s plan to retool the team for another potential title run into a tailspin. Pierce walked away from $21.5 million but a potential new collective bargaining agreement after next season might reduce salaries and Pierce is likely seeking a new contract under the current CBA.

Pierce said several times throughout the playoffs he wants to retire a Celtic, but he also intimated he did not want to deal with free agency next summer. The Celtics can sign Pierce, who turns 33 in October, to a long-term extension, but that may extend the life of the Big Three further than Ainge wanted.

Although he is still playing at an All-Star level, Pierce may have endured some slippage and his level of production will be uncertain at the end of a multiyear contract. Pierce now becomes eligible for a maximum contract, which would begin at at least 105 percent of the $19.7 million he earned last year.

Ainge has said that his worst nightmare is to repeat the mistake made with the original Big Three, when Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale were kept together too long. But now two of the new Big Three are free agents and will demand extensions. Ray Allen also will be an unrestricted free agent as of tonight.

It is unlikely Pierce would return to the Celtics at a $21 million-per-year price, meaning the club could receive a small amount of cap relief. The Celtics will hover over the cap with the new contract of Rajon Rondo kicking in along with Kevin Garnett’s $18 million salary next season. With Pierce opting out, the Celtics do not automatically gain that $21 million in cap space.

Ainge would need to renounce Pierce’s rights — meaning the Celtics would not be allowed to re-sign him — to soak up that cap space and pursue a free agent with the estimated $15 million in cap room. Ainge could chase a younger player with that money, but it would mean the end of Pierce in Boston. The eight-time All-Star and 2008 NBA Finals MVP would likely have to indicate that he planned to sign with another team for the Celtics to make that decision.

Schwartz did not return calls but unquestionably is trying to determine what the market is for his client.

Pierce could serve as a fallback plan for teams who miss out on the premium free agents such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but the question is whether he would earn more on the open market or through an extension with the Celtics.

Meanwhile, Bill Strickland, the agent for Rasheed Wallace, said he is more convinced his client is retiring but would not comment on whether the sides plan to work out a contract settlement.

Even if Wallace walks away from the final two years of his contract, that money still counts against the Celtics’ salary cap unless they reach a settlement.

The veteran forward was due more than $13 million over the next two years.

112288

[RosalieTCeltics]

Thanks, I just don't see him as a max player either, but what a team like the Clippers might do is scary! Or, even the Knicks, because it looks like they are going to get locked out of the big game. I agree this is like watching the three stooges, or, as I call it a circus. The only ones who are making money right now are all the reporters who are bouncing from one show to another giving their opinions. Everyone is different, I wonder if they all got together too!

[bobheckler]

112288,

We have a perfect good news/bad news situation here.

We renounce all our free agents and we've got some serious cap room to play with.

We play games and piss them off and we lose them all.

Hopefully, Danny's conversations with Pierce's and both Allen's agents have let them know he has a plan to bring them back AND use the cap space. Gyso is the final arbiter of this on this site, but I believe we can sign a big time free agent with the probably close to $12-$14M we'll be under the cap if we renounce Pierce and then sign them and go over the cap. That'd be very good, if I'm right.

On the other hand, there's this crazy Russian Billionaire in NJ. Do you really think he's going to tuck his tail between his legs and head home to Moscow emptyhanded after losing the Lebron Sweepstakes and not even try to take a solid run at the next best talent available?

I don't have an ulcer, but this could give me one.

bob

.

[jeb]

Gyso


Can PP come back for less money if he chooses? Thus freeing up some dough to sign other players?

Thanks

Jeb

[RosalieTCeltics]

How long do we have to look at these Laker avatars??? You guys are crazy!!!

[112288]

Bob,

I agree with all you have said. We need at least 1 fresh, young face to challenge next year.

112288

[cowens/oldschool]

We're not gonna get a max FA,who would you rather have a Rudy Gay or Tyson Chandler if we could get one?

[jeb]

Rosie t

a bets a bet.

Love

Jeb

[112288]

CELTICS
The Truth? Pierce decision may be a blessing
E-mail|Link|Comments (15)Posted by Tony Massarotti, Globe Staff June 30, 2010 07:54 AM
At the very least, Paul Pierce wants to sample the market, to see what’s out there, to use every ounce of leverage he might possess at perhaps the final crossroads of his career. At the most, Pierce wants to leave Boston and terminate his relationship with the Celtics, a most ironic twist in the recent, operatic history of the most storied franchise in basketball.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, folks. The Celtics weren’t likely to get much more out of this group anyway. Earlier than anyone might have anticipated, maybe Danny Ainge now can begin the process of reinventing the Celtics again, this time around a dynamic young point guard who is indisputably their future.

What do you hope happens with Celtics captain Paul Pierce?

He re-signs with Celtics, and they go for it with this core group of players

He finishes career elsewhere, and the Celtics get a younger player to replace him
Vote
View ResultsShare This
At the moment, in the immediate aftermath of last night’s news that Pierce has elected to opt out of the final year of his contract, there is obviously a great deal to consider. Three years ago, the Celtics opted to keep Pierce rather than trade him, triggering the events that brought Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, among others, to Boston. Now Pierce is opting out. Allen is a free agent. Only Garnett, who angled for a contract extension before coming here, remains from the new Big Three, two years remaining on his deal for an average salary of about $20 million.

All of this will prompt the inevitable discussions about the cruel realities of professional sports, of right and wrong, of one of the most downright idiotic concepts in sports: loyalty. Is there really anyone out there who believes that such a dinosaur exists anymore? Today, undoubtedly, there will be those who label Pierce as disingenuous and lambaste him for claiming, over and over again, that he wanted to be a lifelong Celtic. Shame on them for believing it in the first place. At the end of the day, the only leverage any employee really has is to walk out the door, and so good for Pierce if he has decided to use it.

That said, neither the Celtics nor their fans should shed any tears over this, particularly when it might be an enormous stroke of good fortune. With Pierce and potentially Rasheed Wallace subtracted from the mix, the Celtics suddenly have money to spend on what is arguably the greatest free agent class in the history of professional sports, a collection of NBA stars as impressive as any succession of boutiques on Rodeo Drive. Maybe Ainge can make some waves in this market; maybe he can’t. But depending on the Wallace outcome, the Celtics could have flexibility in the form of nearly $25 million in cap space, an invaluable asset given what we learned about this team in the most recently completed season.

The Celtics were old, people. Combined, Pierce, Allen and Wallace gave the Celtics 101 reasons (and years) to reflect on. Things were far more likely to get worse than get better. Doc Rivers had to go to such extraordinary lengths to milk every last drop out of this group that the required effort likely nudged him out the door, too. From Rivers to Wallace to now Pierce, people can’t seem to jump off the big green duck boats fast enough, suggesting that everyone involved knew this was strictly a short-term endeavor.

Let’s be honest. These Celtics were essentially a troop of Hessians from the start. Mercenaries frequently disband just as quickly as they assemble once the checks clear. Kendrick Perkins has as much experience in a Celtic uniform as Garnett, Allen, and Wallace combined. If you don’t like the presence of Wallace on that list, feel free to substitute James Posey. Or Nate Robinson. Or P.J. Brown. Or Sam Cassell.

When you get right down to it, the one real exception in this group was Pierce, who has spent more years in a Celtic uniform than all of those men combined. If Pierce follows through now and leaves the organization, you should consider it his final significant contribution to the Celtics legacy. At times in the most recently completed season, Pierce seemed to have aged as much as or more than Garnett or Allen. In Game 7 of the Finals, Ron Artest completely outplayed him – and on both ends of the floor. Pierce’s No. 34 eventually will end up in the rafters of the TD Garden, which is where it ultimately belongs. None of that changes if the number happens to be out of circulation for the 2010-11 season.

For Ainge, the challenge now is considerable, though he has faced far more daunting scenarios than this. Slightly more than three years ago at this time, after losing out again in the draft lottery, the Celtics looked downright hopeless. They have since won one title and made two trips to the Finals, going 8-2 in playoff series in the process. At the moment, assuming the departures of Wallace and Pierce, the Celtics have only Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Perkins under contract for 2010-11 – and Perkins will miss at least a chunk of the season due to a knee injury. The return of Allen might make some sense, but only at a small fraction of his current contract.

Whether a foursome of Garnett, Rondo, Allen, and Davis is appealing to prospective free agents remains to be seen – does Garnett still have the lure he once did? – but that is hardly the point. The Celtics were faced with ripping this all apart sooner or later. Pierce knew that as well as anyone, which is undoubtedly part of the reason he has opted out. The prospect of a new collective bargaining agreement was a factor, too. The Celtics may suffer some from Pierce’s decision in the short term, but let there be no doubt about the potential gains.

In the longer term, the Celtics will be far, far better off.

[gyso]

Rosalie,

112288 started another Paul Pierce thread, but the Gary Washburn piece he posted was interesting. I'll post it here:

Pierce opts out of final year
Seeking long-term deal, he is unrestricted free agent

By Gary Washburn
Globe Staff / June 30, 2010
E-mail|Print|Reprints| Text size – +
Paul Pierce plans on opting out of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent. He notified the Celtics through his Los Angeles-based agent Jeff Schwartz late last night.

ESPN.com first reported on the story.

Pierce’s decision, though not a surprise, throws president Danny Ainge’s plan to retool the team for another potential title run into a tailspin. Pierce walked away from $21.5 million but a potential new collective bargaining agreement after next season might reduce salaries and Pierce is likely seeking a new contract under the current CBA.

Pierce said several times throughout the playoffs he wants to retire a Celtic, but he also intimated he did not want to deal with free agency next summer. The Celtics can sign Pierce, who turns 33 in October, to a long-term extension, but that may extend the life of the Big Three further than Ainge wanted.

Although he is still playing at an All-Star level, Pierce may have endured some slippage and his level of production will be uncertain at the end of a multiyear contract. Pierce now becomes eligible for a maximum contract, which would begin at at least 105 percent of the $19.7 million he earned last year.

Ainge has said that his worst nightmare is to repeat the mistake made with the original Big Three, when Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale were kept together too long. But now two of the new Big Three are free agents and will demand extensions. Ray Allen also will be an unrestricted free agent as of tonight.

It is unlikely Pierce would return to the Celtics at a $21 million-per-year price, meaning the club could receive a small amount of cap relief. The Celtics will hover over the cap with the new contract of Rajon Rondo kicking in along with Kevin Garnett’s $18 million salary next season. With Pierce opting out, the Celtics do not automatically gain that $21 million in cap space.

Ainge would need to renounce Pierce’s rights — meaning the Celtics would not be allowed to re-sign him — to soak up that cap space and pursue a free agent with the estimated $15 million in cap room. Ainge could chase a younger player with that money, but it would mean the end of Pierce in Boston. The eight-time All-Star and 2008 NBA Finals MVP would likely have to indicate that he planned to sign with another team for the Celtics to make that decision.

Schwartz did not return calls but unquestionably is trying to determine what the market is for his client.

Pierce could serve as a fallback plan for teams who miss out on the premium free agents such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but the question is whether he would earn more on the open market or through an extension with the Celtics.

Meanwhile, Bill Strickland, the agent for Rasheed Wallace, said he is more convinced his client is retiring but would not comment on whether the sides plan to work out a contract settlement.

Even if Wallace walks away from the final two years of his contract, that money still counts against the Celtics’ salary cap unless they reach a settlement.

The veteran forward was due more than $13 million over the next two years.

112288

The tailspin bit sounds like drama-queen stuff, considering he said, "though not a surprise" in the same sentence. Typical Washburn. But the rest of it is a good read.

I still don't know where he comes up with the 15 mil number (up from the 9 + 3 = 12 numbers he tossed out last week) considering the roster penalty, salary cap holds and MLE cap hold, etc. as discussed in another thread. Perhaps time will prove it out and we will all learn a new thing about the current CBA.

gyso

[gyso]

Gyso


Can PP come back for less money if he chooses? Thus freeing up some dough to sign other players?

Thanks

Jeb

Jeb,

Pierce could do a "Tim Wakefield" and finish out his career with a series of one year small contracts. He has made a lot of money by our standards. Some have said that taking less would cement Paul's legacy as a Celtic. Sure, that is true, but in the whole scheme ot things, who is to say?

Whatever Paul Pierce does will not affect how this Celtic fan thinks about him.

gyso

[jeb]

this makes it seem like pp is forcing danny's hand and going for the money. I wouldnt want to play poker with Danny Ainge. I'd love to see PP take less dough to allow other players to come in ... but in this age and this world my guess is Paul will do whats best for Paul...it would be so un espn if he took less dough and we used that money well.


Wow this is shaping up to be a real sporty few weeks for us green bleeders.

[NYCelt]

Good article.

Either way we could score a win.

Pierce is my favorite Celtic of the past several years, and I hope he stays. It's possible we sign him with a contract structure that doesn't damage us and he does probably have another year or two left among the more productive small forwards in the game. If he goes we get some fiscal operating room at a time when we're undeniably an aging roster and there are several good team building blocks on the market.

Count me among those who want Pierce and Ray to lace 'em up in Celtic green again next season. As this article points out however, with the possibility of shedding some or all of at least three premium contracts this could be a very good summer for the Boston Celtics and their franchise player, Rajon Rondo.

Thanks for posting this one 112288.

[jeb]

It is interesting to read that article KNOWING the Celtics were 4 points from 18 IN GAME FRICKIN 7! What a chump. I guess some people just could never let go of the regular season when it comes to evaluating Last years C's and what they did together.

Mazz must have really been irrevocably hurt by that Nets game.

Wow.

Jeb

[gyso]

Jeb,

re PP and what's in his head...

Hard tellin', not knowin'.

gyso

[jeb]

gyso

not doable. Foolish to try but HARD not to.

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