Jason Kidd is gone in Brooklyn.
With him out will Paul Pierce be?
The Clippers are banking on it. The Clips need help at the three (Jared Dudley did not work out as planned last season) and they are targeting Pierce, something reported by multiple outlets. Here is Marc Stein of ESPN for an example.
https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/statuses/483840626904272896
A reminder of the obvious point, Pierce played for Clippers coach Doc Rivers in Boston and they won a title together. Doc has been big on getting guys that played for him or well against him in the past.
The Clippers don’t need a lot of point production out of the three, they just need someone who can space the floor from three (Pierce hit 37.3 percent from beyond the arc last year) and is enough of an offensive threat that you hesitate to double off him to get to Blake Griffin or Chris Paul. Pierce is still that, even though he will turn 37 before the start of next season. The Clippers are a deep team (and Doc Rivers practices less than any coach in the league) so there wouldn’t be excessive wear and tear on Pierce, his minutes could be limited.
The Clippers were not alone in expressing interest in Pierce on the first night of free agency. Other teams that reportedly reached out to Pierce include the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Bulls, Mavericks and Rockets, according to multiple reports.
What about Brooklyn? They apparently want to see what the market is for Pierce then decide if they want to match or beat that offer. The Nets have Pierce’s Bird rights so they can go over the cap to match (well, they are already way over the cap).
What Pierce decides is expected to play a big role in whether Kevin Garnett returns to the Nets next season or decides to hang up his sneakers and leave the game.