Paul Pierce can not be traded, would be a shame to Boston, he is a legend.

[Ogaju]

Its a two way street - will he take less money to stay?

[LarBrd33]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana.  

Thank to Pierce's heroics, we won a loseable game to one of our major competitors for a top lotto pick.  We can't let this continue.  Get him out of here before he puts us into the playoffs.

[hpantazo]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana. 

In all fairness, that was the Sonics. Their greatest player of all time would never even make the bottom of a long list of celtic greats. Pierce has more than earned his place near the top of that long list though. He should retire a celtic.

[Marcus13]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana. 

In all fairness, that was the Sonics. Their greatest player of all time would never even make the bottom of a long list of celtic greats. Pierce has more than earned his place near the top of that long list though. He should retire a celtic.

Come on, now youre just being a homer.  Theyre both hall of fame players who played their entire career with one team.  Very, very similar situations.

Maybe Payton shouldnt have been dealt either, though (on morale grounds of course)

[LarBrd33]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana. 

In all fairness, that was the Sonics. Their greatest player of all time would never even make the bottom of a long list of celtic greats. Pierce has more than earned his place near the top of that long list though. He should retire a celtic.

Disagree.  I'd take Payton in his prime over Pierce in his prime without a moment hesitation.  There was a 6 year stretch in his prime where they won 55-64 games and probably would have won a title had they not ran into Michael Jordan.  

But that doesn't really matter.  For our future we need to trade Pierce while we can.

[LarBrd33]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana.  

In all fairness, that was the Sonics. Their greatest player of all time would never even make the bottom of a long list of celtic greats. Pierce has more than earned his place near the top of that long list though. He should retire a celtic.

Come on, now youre just being a homer.  Theyre both hall of fame players who played their entire career with one team.  Very, very similar situations.

Maybe Payton shouldnt have been dealt either, though (on morale grounds of course)

Two years later when Ray was doing his thing (in his prime, mind you... not this one-dimensional player we've seen in Boston) and Payton was well over the hill... Sonics fans didn't give a crap.

Payton will remain the most beloved Sonic to ever live... nobody in Seattle cares that he wrapped up his career over-the-hill on the Lakers, Celtics and Heat.  And these days Payton remains attached to Seattle and their hopes for a new team... their most vocal former-player pushing for a new stadium.  He's still a Sonic.  He'll always be a Sonic.  

Pierce will always be a Celtic.  Trade him while we can get something for him.  In a few years when he is washed up and/or retired, you aren't going to care.

[hpantazo]

Sonics fans were outraged when they traded their greatest player of all time (Gary Payton) for some "shooter" named Ray allen.  Payton was still averaging his typical 20 and 9 at the time, but he was 34.

Two years later he was toast.

We aren't winning another title anytime soon.  Might as well build for the future by moving Pierce for young prospects and cap space.  Gotta pull the trigger now while he's still capable of putting up 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals... gotta pull the trigger while he still has value to teams like Indiana.  

In all fairness, that was the Sonics. Their greatest player of all time would never even make the bottom of a long list of celtic greats. Pierce has more than earned his place near the top of that long list though. He should retire a celtic.

Come on, now youre just being a homer.  Theyre both hall of fame players who played their entire career with one team.  Very, very similar situations.

Maybe Payton shouldnt have been dealt either, though (on morale grounds of course)

Two years later when Ray was doing his thing (in his prime, mind you... not this one-dimensional player we've seen in Boston) and Payton was well over the hill... Sonics fans didn't give a crap.

Payton will remain the most beloved Sonic to ever live... nobody in Seattle cares that he wrapped up his career over-the-hill on the Lakers, Celtics and Heat.  And these days Payton remains attached to Seattle and their hopes for a new team... their most vocal former-player pushing for a new stadium.  He's still a Sonic.  He'll always be a Sonic.  

Pierce will always be a Celtic.  Trade him while we can get something for him.  In a few years when he is washed up and/or retired, you aren't going to care.

First of all, there are no Sonics today, no one cares about Payton because the organization died. Second, yes, if Pierce gets traded, when he is retired, I will still care. I really don't think Wyc will allow Pierce to be traded, FWIW.

Also, what exactly did the Sonics ever win with Ray Allen? Being an also ran is not worth trading Pierce for. Jordan won because the competition was lackluster. Pierce's celtics beat Kobe's lakers, with Pierce outplaying Kobe in that series.

[hpantazo]

LOL! I'm glad I'm not one of those people in Seattle wearing Payton jerseys and calling him one of the greatest anything. That's priceless.

Btw, I clearly remember Pierce outplaying the great Kobe Bryant and winning the NBA Finals MVP trophy in 2008. Denying his greatness is just pathetic.

[LarBrd33]

Also, what exactly did the Sonics ever win with Ray Allen? Being an also ran is not worth trading Pierce for. Jordan won because the competition was lackluster. Pierce's celtics beat Kobe's lakers, with Pierce outplaying Kobe in that series.

When the Sonics traded Payton he was 34 and still appeared from the outside to be his allstar self:  20.8 points, 8.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals ...

Two years later he had already left the Bucks AND Lakers...and was now averaging 11.3 points, 6.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals starting for the Celtics.  He was no longer a starter.  The guy was a bum.  Kinda like how Jermaine O'Neal starts at center for us even though he's a bum.

Meanwhile, 29 year old Ray Allen was averaging 25 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and a couple steals while leading the Sonics to a 52 win season and a loss in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Now... granted, I'm not even asking for the Celtics to trade Pierce for a guy that will keep us as an "also-ran" (like the moronic Pierce for Rudy Gay hypothetical... Gay is NOWHERE NEAR the talent Ray Allen was... he's 25 and has never been an allstar).   Tonight we had evidence that KEEPING PIERCE will likely keep us as an "also-ran" for the next couple years.  I'm suggesting we dump Pierce for cap space and a draft pick or a young guy like Paul George who is 21 and far from his prime... but can keep us in the lotto for a few years and help us when we HOPEFULLY become competitive again in 5 years.   Big difference there.  

[LarBrd33]

LOL! I'm glad I'm not one of those people in Seattle wearing Payton jerseys and calling him one of the greatest anything. That's priceless.

Btw, I clearly remember Pierce outplaying the great Kobe Bryant and winning the NBA Finals MVP trophy in 2008. Denying his greatness is just pathetic.

Yeah ok... Pierce is better than Kobe.  Ok     

Nevermind.  You win

[dark_lord]

i have said this in other threads....

for me, seeing pierce retire a celtic and having his # retired with the other celtic greats would mean as much to me as another championship.  for me personally, i wouldn't mind sucking a few extra yrs if it meant i got to see the aforementioned.

i am one to root for the front of the jersey rather than the back, but for me, pierce is an exception.  everyone on the roster is expendable imo, except pierce.

call me a homer or a sap if you will, but thats real talk

[LarBrd33]

i have said this in other threads....

for me, seeing pierce retire a celtic and having his # retired with the other celtic greats would mean as much to me as another championship.  for me personally, i wouldn't mind sucking a few extra yrs if it meant i got to see the aforementioned.

i am one to root for the front of the jersey rather than the back, but for me, pierce is an exception.  everyone on the roster is expendable imo, except pierce.

call me a homer or a sap if you will, but thats real talk

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this.  It just means that you're fine with watching us struggle against the Wizards for the next couple years, get mid-range draft picks and push back our rebuilding efforts until Pierce's contract finally expires.  That could mean another decade of 41 win seasons.  If you're cool with that... so be it.

I prefer the Celtics to return to relevance as quickly as possible.  Paying an aging Pierce 15+ million to keep us as also-rans doesn't do it for me.

[hpantazo]

i have said this in other threads....

for me, seeing pierce retire a celtic and having his # retired with the other celtic greats would mean as much to me as another championship.  for me personally, i wouldn't mind sucking a few extra yrs if it meant i got to see the aforementioned.

i am one to root for the front of the jersey rather than the back, but for me, pierce is an exception.  everyone on the roster is expendable imo, except pierce.

call me a homer or a sap if you will, but thats real talk

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this.  It just means that you're fine with watching us struggle against the Wizards for the next couple years, get mid-range draft picks and push back our rebuilding efforts until Pierce's contract finally expires.  That could mean another decade of 41 win seasons.  If you're cool with that... so be it.

I prefer the Celtics to return to relevance as quickly as possible.  Paying an aging Pierce 15+ million to keep us as also-rans doesn't do it for me.

I feel the same way as dark lord, and really, Pierce's contract is not what will hurt our rebuilding. We have a ton of cap room this summer assuming we keep Pierce. KG and Ray come off our books big time and we have the cap room to get 2 max FAs, with or without Pierce. The only issue is getting something for him instead of letting him retire in 2 years, and I really don't think we will get anything worthwhile like Paul George or a lottery pick. Bird is a smart GM, I don't believe he would trade George for an old Pierce.

[LarBrd33]

i have said this in other threads....

for me, seeing pierce retire a celtic and having his # retired with the other celtic greats would mean as much to me as another championship.  for me personally, i wouldn't mind sucking a few extra yrs if it meant i got to see the aforementioned.

i am one to root for the front of the jersey rather than the back, but for me, pierce is an exception.  everyone on the roster is expendable imo, except pierce.

call me a homer or a sap if you will, but thats real talk

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this.  It just means that you're fine with watching us struggle against the Wizards for the next couple years, get mid-range draft picks and push back our rebuilding efforts until Pierce's contract finally expires.  That could mean another decade of 41 win seasons.  If you're cool with that... so be it.

I prefer the Celtics to return to relevance as quickly as possible.  Paying an aging Pierce 15+ million to keep us as also-rans doesn't do it for me.

I feel the same way as dark lord, and really, Pierce's contract is not what will hurt our rebuilding. We have a ton of cap room this summer assuming we keep Pierce. KG and Ray come off our books big time and we have the cap room to get 2 max FAs, with or without Pierce. The only issue is getting something for him instead of letting him retire in 2 years, and I really don't think we will get anything worthwhile like Paul George or a lottery pick. Bird is a smart GM, I don't believe he would trade George for an old Pierce.

Yeah I hear you man. I hear you.

You can head into the offseason with Rondo and Pierce on our books... you can let KG, Ray, Jeff Green and Brandon Bass all walk and you'll have roughly 24 mil in cap space.  So you can offer a 12 mil contract to a guy and a 12 mil contract to another guy... who are your two targets?  Lamar Odom and Chris Kaman?

Kevin Love and Eric Gordon will be matched on any contract they are signed for... CERTAINLY for a contract making 12 mil a year.

A guy like Dwight Howard is theoretically possible to sign, but he'd probably want to do a sign-and-trade with Orlando so he could make the most money possible... a contract starting at 20 million.

That would leave us a total of 4 million and a team that consists of Rondo, Dwight and Pierce.  First, I can't see Dwight wanting to join a team that only consists of Rondo and Pierce.  Second, it doesn't make any sense to pair a 35 year old Pierce with Rondo and Dwight... so either way, it makes sense to trade Pierce now.

If you're telling me that Ray and KG would sign for the vet minimum... I'm on board.

[hpantazo]

i have said this in other threads....

for me, seeing pierce retire a celtic and having his # retired with the other celtic greats would mean as much to me as another championship.  for me personally, i wouldn't mind sucking a few extra yrs if it meant i got to see the aforementioned.

i am one to root for the front of the jersey rather than the back, but for me, pierce is an exception.  everyone on the roster is expendable imo, except pierce.

call me a homer or a sap if you will, but thats real talk

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this.  It just means that you're fine with watching us struggle against the Wizards for the next couple years, get mid-range draft picks and push back our rebuilding efforts until Pierce's contract finally expires.  That could mean another decade of 41 win seasons.  If you're cool with that... so be it.

I prefer the Celtics to return to relevance as quickly as possible.  Paying an aging Pierce 15+ million to keep us as also-rans doesn't do it for me.

I feel the same way as dark lord, and really, Pierce's contract is not what will hurt our rebuilding. We have a ton of cap room this summer assuming we keep Pierce. KG and Ray come off our books big time and we have the cap room to get 2 max FAs, with or without Pierce. The only issue is getting something for him instead of letting him retire in 2 years, and I really don't think we will get anything worthwhile like Paul George or a lottery pick. Bird is a smart GM, I don't believe he would trade George for an old Pierce.

Yeah I hear you man. I hear you.

You can head into the offseason with Rondo and Pierce on our books... you can let KG, Ray, Jeff Green and Brandon Bass all walk and you'll have roughly 24 mil in cap space.  So you can offer a 12 mil contract to a guy and a 12 mil contract to another guy... who are your two targets?  Lamar Odom and Chris Kaman?

Kevin Love and Eric Gordon will be matched on any contract they are signed for... CERTAINLY for a contract making 12 mil a year.

A guy like Dwight Howard is theoretically possible to sign, but he'd probably want to do a sign-and-trade with Orlando so he could make the most money possible... a contract starting at 20 million.

That would leave us a total of 4 million and a team that consists of Rondo, Dwight and Pierce.  First, I can't see Dwight wanting to join a team that only consists of Rondo and Pierce.  Second, it doesn't make any sense to pair a 35 year old Pierce with Rondo and Dwight... so either way, it makes sense to trade Pierce now.

If you're telling me that Ray and KG would sign for the vet minimum... I'm on board.

Yea, I know what you mean, we are in a tough spot either way, and the chances of us getting Howard are slim to none. Things looked pretty bad before we got KG and Ray though, and I think Ainge is on top of things, with how to handle the new CBA, so who knows? This summer is going to be huge for our future.