How much would you pay for a player with 2012/13 avgs: 18.6pts, 6.3rebs, 4.8ast

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Kobe Bryant   Los Angeles Lakers   $27,849,149
Dirk Nowitzki   Dallas Mavericks   $20,907,128
Carmelo Anthony   New York Knicks   $20,463,024
Amar'e Stoudemire   New York Knicks   $19,948,799
Joe Johnson   Brooklyn Nets   $19,752,645
Dwight Howard   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,536,360
Pau Gasol   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,000,000
Chris Paul   Los Angeles Clippers   $17,779,458
LeBron James   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Chris Bosh   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Dwyane Wade   Miami Heat   $17,182,000
Deron Williams   Brooklyn Nets   $17,177,795
Andrew Bynum   Philadelphia 76ers   $16,889,000
Paul Pierce   Boston Celtics   $16,790,345
Kevin Durant   Oklahoma City Thunder   $16,669,630
Zach Randolph   Memphis Grizzlies   $16,500,000
Rudy Gay   Toronto Raptors   $16,460,538
Derrick Rose   Chicago Bulls   $16,402,552
Al Jefferson   Utah Jazz   $15,000,000
Carlos Boozer   Chicago Bulls   $15,000,000
Andre Iguodala   Denver Nuggets   $14,968,250
Manu Ginobili   San Antonio Spurs   $14,107,492
Marc Gasol   Memphis Grizzlies   $13,891,359
Brook Lopez   Brooklyn Nets   $13,668,750
Kevin Love   Minnesota Timberwolves   $13,668,750
Roy Hibbert   Indiana Pacers   $13,668,750
Eric Gordon   New Orleans Pelicans   $13,668,750
Russell Westbrook   Oklahoma City Thunder   $13,668,750
Tyson Chandler   New York Knicks   $13,604,188
LaMarcus Aldridge   Portland Trail Blazers   $13,500,000
Emeka Okafor   Washington Wizards   $13,490,000
Luol Deng   Chicago Bulls   $13,305,000
Josh Smith   Atlanta Hawks   $13,200,000
Danny Granger   Indiana Pacers   $13,058,606
Nene   Washington Wizards   $13,000,000
Andrew Bogut   Golden State Warriors   $13,000,000
David Lee   Golden State Warriors   $12,744,000
Tony Parker   San Antonio Spurs   $12,500,000
Kevin Martin   Oklahoma City Thunder   $12,439,675
Ben Gordon   Charlotte Bobcats   $12,400,000
Kris Humphries   Brooklyn Nets   $12,000,000
Al Horford   Atlanta Hawks   $12,000,000
Hedo Turkoglu   Orlando Magic   $11,815,850
Kevin Garnett   Boston Celtics   $11,566,265
Joakim Noah   Chicago Bulls   $11,300,000
Jose Calderon   Detroit Pistons   $11,046,591
Monta Ellis   Milwaukee Bucks   $11,000,000
Rajon Rondo   Boston Celtics   $11,000,000
Corey Maggette   Detroit Pistons   $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum   Portland Trail Blazers   $10,825,000

For reference, those are the 50 highest players in the league.

LOL even I was wrong, those guys THIS season are worth way more than 15mil! So even the 17 mil is laughable for Bron.

[nickagneta]

...and gets your three triple doubles.

I am completely mind boggled by the fact that any Celtic fan would think that anything other than bringing Pierce back next season is good for the team.  And this does not even take the sentimental reasons into account.

A young player averaging those types of numbers would command max dollars, and people are hesitant to give Paul "The MF Truth" Pierce 15 mill for one more season.  Are you kidding me!?!

Sure, he was gassed in the playoffs and had a ton of turnovers from handling the ball too much with Rondo out, but are you telling me there are better options out there for our money next year than what Pierce brings to the table? 

Ping pong balls? Been there, it's a long shot.  Bringing in multiple 2nd tier free agents with the money we would save.  We already saw how that worked out replacing ray (a hall of famer) with lee and terry?

You just can't replace the numbers I listed above, the leadership, the big shots, and the history that Pierce brings to the table.

Sure explore trades, but I don't think anything will come of it.

Pay the man. Play him less. Let him be a leader. Enjoy his last season.  See a fresh Pierce in the playoffs.  Let him retire a Celtic.  Send 34 to the rafters.

Worth every bit of that 15 million and then some.

TP.

What an absolutely fabulous post. TP!

[StartOrien]

Well, couple follow up questions:

1. Does this player want to still player here?
2. Do I think I have a competitive team?
3. Do I think I have a realistic chance of beating the Heat and/or Roseful Bulls?
4. If the answer is 'no' to quesstions 2 and 3 do I feel obligated to give that player a chance to play for someone who might be able to?

[chambers]

Kobe Bryant   Los Angeles Lakers   $27,849,149
Dirk Nowitzki   Dallas Mavericks   $20,907,128
Carmelo Anthony   New York Knicks   $20,463,024
Amar'e Stoudemire   New York Knicks   $19,948,799
Joe Johnson   Brooklyn Nets   $19,752,645
Dwight Howard   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,536,360
Pau Gasol   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,000,000
Chris Paul   Los Angeles Clippers   $17,779,458
LeBron James   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Chris Bosh   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Dwyane Wade   Miami Heat   $17,182,000
Deron Williams   Brooklyn Nets   $17,177,795
Andrew Bynum   Philadelphia 76ers   $16,889,000
Paul Pierce   Boston Celtics   $16,790,345
Kevin Durant   Oklahoma City Thunder   $16,669,630
Zach Randolph   Memphis Grizzlies   $16,500,000
Rudy Gay   Toronto Raptors   $16,460,538
Derrick Rose   Chicago Bulls   $16,402,552
Al Jefferson   Utah Jazz   $15,000,000
Carlos Boozer   Chicago Bulls   $15,000,000
Andre Iguodala   Denver Nuggets   $14,968,250
Manu Ginobili   San Antonio Spurs   $14,107,492
Marc Gasol   Memphis Grizzlies   $13,891,359
Brook Lopez   Brooklyn Nets   $13,668,750
Kevin Love   Minnesota Timberwolves   $13,668,750
Roy Hibbert   Indiana Pacers   $13,668,750
Eric Gordon   New Orleans Pelicans   $13,668,750
Russell Westbrook   Oklahoma City Thunder   $13,668,750
Tyson Chandler   New York Knicks   $13,604,188

8-10 million.

LaMarcus Aldridge   Portland Trail Blazers   $13,500,000
Emeka Okafor   Washington Wizards   $13,490,000
Luol Deng   Chicago Bulls   $13,305,000
Josh Smith   Atlanta Hawks   $13,200,000
Danny Granger   Indiana Pacers   $13,058,606
Nene   Washington Wizards   $13,000,000
Andrew Bogut   Golden State Warriors   $13,000,000
David Lee   Golden State Warriors   $12,744,000
Tony Parker   San Antonio Spurs   $12,500,000
Kevin Martin   Oklahoma City Thunder   $12,439,675
Ben Gordon   Charlotte Bobcats   $12,400,000
Kris Humphries   Brooklyn Nets   $12,000,000
Al Horford   Atlanta Hawks   $12,000,000
Hedo Turkoglu   Orlando Magic   $11,815,850
Kevin Garnett   Boston Celtics   $11,566,265
Joakim Noah   Chicago Bulls   $11,300,000
Jose Calderon   Detroit Pistons   $11,046,591
Monta Ellis   Milwaukee Bucks   $11,000,000
Rajon Rondo   Boston Celtics   $11,000,000
Corey Maggette   Detroit Pistons   $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum   Portland Trail Blazers   $10,825,000

For reference, those are the 50 highest players in the league.

So Pierce is the 15th highest player on the salaries list.  It's 2 million less than dwane wade lol.  Are you arguing that his salary is fair? Or that it's just not a superstar 20 million + amount? He's top 15 in salaries but is he in the top
I just don't think he's worth that much any more. He's just not good enough to warrant that kind of salary. I will admit that the reason I think he's not that valuable is because keeping him keeps us in a state of mediocrity for another year because we'll be too good for the lottery but not good enough for the playoffs.

[nickagneta]

Kobe Bryant   Los Angeles Lakers   $27,849,149
Dirk Nowitzki   Dallas Mavericks   $20,907,128
Carmelo Anthony   New York Knicks   $20,463,024
Amar'e Stoudemire   New York Knicks   $19,948,799
Joe Johnson   Brooklyn Nets   $19,752,645
Dwight Howard   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,536,360
Pau Gasol   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,000,000
Chris Paul   Los Angeles Clippers   $17,779,458
LeBron James   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Chris Bosh   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Dwyane Wade   Miami Heat   $17,182,000
Deron Williams   Brooklyn Nets   $17,177,795
Andrew Bynum   Philadelphia 76ers   $16,889,000
Paul Pierce   Boston Celtics   $16,790,345
Kevin Durant   Oklahoma City Thunder   $16,669,630
Zach Randolph   Memphis Grizzlies   $16,500,000
Rudy Gay   Toronto Raptors   $16,460,538
Derrick Rose   Chicago Bulls   $16,402,552
Al Jefferson   Utah Jazz   $15,000,000
Carlos Boozer   Chicago Bulls   $15,000,000
Andre Iguodala   Denver Nuggets   $14,968,250
Manu Ginobili   San Antonio Spurs   $14,107,492
Marc Gasol   Memphis Grizzlies   $13,891,359
Brook Lopez   Brooklyn Nets   $13,668,750
Kevin Love   Minnesota Timberwolves   $13,668,750
Roy Hibbert   Indiana Pacers   $13,668,750
Eric Gordon   New Orleans Pelicans   $13,668,750
Russell Westbrook   Oklahoma City Thunder   $13,668,750
Tyson Chandler   New York Knicks   $13,604,188

8-10 million.

LaMarcus Aldridge   Portland Trail Blazers   $13,500,000
Emeka Okafor   Washington Wizards   $13,490,000
Luol Deng   Chicago Bulls   $13,305,000
Josh Smith   Atlanta Hawks   $13,200,000
Danny Granger   Indiana Pacers   $13,058,606
Nene   Washington Wizards   $13,000,000
Andrew Bogut   Golden State Warriors   $13,000,000
David Lee   Golden State Warriors   $12,744,000
Tony Parker   San Antonio Spurs   $12,500,000
Kevin Martin   Oklahoma City Thunder   $12,439,675
Ben Gordon   Charlotte Bobcats   $12,400,000
Kris Humphries   Brooklyn Nets   $12,000,000
Al Horford   Atlanta Hawks   $12,000,000
Hedo Turkoglu   Orlando Magic   $11,815,850
Kevin Garnett   Boston Celtics   $11,566,265
Joakim Noah   Chicago Bulls   $11,300,000
Jose Calderon   Detroit Pistons   $11,046,591
Monta Ellis   Milwaukee Bucks   $11,000,000
Rajon Rondo   Boston Celtics   $11,000,000
Corey Maggette   Detroit Pistons   $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum   Portland Trail Blazers   $10,825,000

For reference, those are the 50 highest players in the league.

So Pierce is the 15th highest player on the salaries list.  It's 2 million less than dwane wade lol.  Are you arguing that his salary is fair? Or that it's just not a superstar 20 million + amount? He's top 15 in salaries but is he in the top
I just don't think he's worth that much any more. He's just not good enough to warrant that kind of salary. I will admit that the reason I think he's not that valuable is because keeping him keeps us in a state of mediocrity for another year because we'll be too good for the lottery but not good enough for the playoffs.

I look at it this way:

Would I want pay him $15 million for next season? No.
Will some want to pay him $15 million for next season? Oh heck yeah.
Will his play warrant $15 million? Depends.

But sometimes you don't always do what you want to do in business. Sometimes you do what you have to do. And next year, the OP has a point, the best value we will get for that $15 million slot, is definitely having Paul Pierce play for the Boston Celtics.

[kgainez]

He's definitely not worth 15 million. Unfortunately he's just a little too past his prime to be the number one option on a contender.
15 million is Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose money. Maybe back in 2007-2010 but this post season has just shown we are going no where with him as our number one option and taking up 15 million of our 50 million in capspace.

You can pay him 15 million and bring him back to bow out of the first or second round again or we can wipe the slate clean.

The whole argument about Pierce is that he's paid so much, and he's still a great player, but he's just not good enough to lead us to a championship, playing 15 million kind of minutes. People need to realize how poor he's become on the defensive end in the last 2 years. We even resorted to putting our power forward on the rival SF's that are in the same pay bracket as our SF! There's a reason why Danny put a 5 million buyout on the tail end of Pierces deal, so we could move him on if he hit the veteran decline. Rondo going down was just too much of a burden for Pierce to handle at his age.

Id personally just move him on so we can either afford another player with more impact for the same money, or a can lose as many games as possible to better our lottery placement.
Keeping Pierce means we are a mediocre team, and being mediocre just means a repeat of this year or perhaps a 2nd round exit. I love him him but the longer we keep Pierce, the further away we are banner 18.

This is like the 100th time I have said it. Pierce was the number one option because Rondo was down.

WHY DO YOU GUYS KEEP IGNORING THE FACT THAT RONDO WASN'T PLAYING?

If Rondo was playing, he would have been the number one option.

Not just you, but to almost all Celtics fans, seriously, how hard is to remember that Rajon Rondo was not playing? Someone had to take the number one option and take on the leadership and if you would have anyone other than Pierce take the leadership of the team, you are either too delusional or don't know what you are talking about.

No one's ignoring that fact, I think you're ignoring that Rondo is not the number one scoring option. When has Rondo ever been the number one scoring option?
Pierce's defense has become horrible- he can't guard elite small forwards anymore. He's great but he is not a number one option at 15 million and that's why we must move on.
You're delusional if you think we are getting anywhere near another championship with Paul Pierce taking up 15 million of a 49 million salary cap.
Please read all posts before spouting off on a tangent. You seem to do it a lot and it's annoying as hell. Put some thought and insight into yourposts instead of going off on emotional tangents all the time it's getting old.
Give us your grand plan for winning a championship with Paul Pierce on the roster for 15 million a season. Be my guest.

well said chambers.
paul pierce is looking worse each year. the top 50 paid guys in the league are arguably the top 50 players.  if jeff green gets almost 9 mil, bass gets 7 mil and rondo gets 11, i think paul should get no more than 10.

15 is for a guy in his prime coming off a solid 2nd rd exit or conf finals.
they say u make ur money in the playoffs. if that's the case, PP needs to be paid whatever JET is being paid. cuz clearly....smh...

[ianboyextreme]

I would of course give paul the money. I hope he wants to come back.

[quidinqui33]

He's definitely not worth 15 million. Unfortunately he's just a little too past his prime to be the number one option on a contender.
15 million is Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose money. Maybe back in 2007-2010 but this post season has just shown we are going no where with him as our number one option and taking up 15 million of our 50 million in capspace.

You can pay him 15 million and bring him back to bow out of the first or second round again or we can wipe the slate clean.

The whole argument about Pierce is that he's paid so much, and he's still a great player, but he's just not good enough to lead us to a championship, playing 15 million kind of minutes. People need to realize how poor he's become on the defensive end in the last 2 years. We even resorted to putting our power forward on the rival SF's that are in the same pay bracket as our SF! There's a reason why Danny put a 5 million buyout on the tail end of Pierces deal, so we could move him on if he hit the veteran decline. Rondo going down was just too much of a burden for Pierce to handle at his age.

Id personally just move him on so we can either afford another player with more impact for the same money, or a can lose as many games as possible to better our lottery placement.
Keeping Pierce means we are a mediocre team, and being mediocre just means a repeat of this year or perhaps a 2nd round exit. I love him him but the longer we keep Pierce, the further away we are banner 18.

This is like the 100th time I have said it. Pierce was the number one option because Rondo was down.

WHY DO YOU GUYS KEEP IGNORING THE FACT THAT RONDO WASN'T PLAYING?

If Rondo was playing, he would have been the number one option.

Not just you, but to almost all Celtics fans, seriously, how hard is to remember that Rajon Rondo was not playing? Someone had to take the number one option and take on the leadership and if you would have anyone other than Pierce take the leadership of the team, you are either too delusional or don't know what you are talking about.

No one's ignoring that fact, I think you're ignoring that Rondo is not the number one scoring option. When has Rondo ever been the number one scoring option?
Pierce's defense has become horrible- he can't guard elite small forwards anymore. He's great but he is not a number one option at 15 million and that's why we must move on.
You're delusional if you think we are getting anywhere near another championship with Paul Pierce taking up 15 million of a 49 million salary cap.
Please read all posts before spouting off on a tangent. You seem to do it a lot and it's annoying as hell. Put some thought and insight into yourposts instead of going off on emotional tangents all the time it's getting old.
Give us your grand plan for winning a championship with Paul Pierce on the roster for 15 million a season. Be my guest.

well said chambers.
paul pierce is looking worse each year. the top 50 paid guys in the league are arguably the top 50 players.  if jeff green gets almost 9 mil, bass gets 7 mil and rondo gets 11, i think paul should get no more than 10.

15 is for a guy in his prime coming off a solid 2nd rd exit or conf finals.
they say u make ur money in the playoffs. if that's the case, PP needs to be paid whatever JET is being paid. cuz clearly....smh...

Yes, Paul Pierce is looking less like the Pierce we know each year, but even this year, if you look at his numbers, they are still better than most of the people on that list of highest paid players.

But I think what the folks on the cut/waive/amnesty pierce bandwagon are forgetting is that doing any of those does not bring you $15 million under the cap and then you magically get a player of pierce caliber in return.  Best case scenario, you would end up with 8-10 million to spend, but who is available that you would spend that on that could replace what pierce brings.  Not any first option players, I will tell you that.  So to me, bringing pierce back is a no brainer.

The only way you might get fair value for him, and reap the full benefits of his 15 million salary is by trade so you explore that, but only if it truly nets you something of value in return.

Either way, none of those scenarios are going to make you a better team next year, so why not ride it out with Pierce (as 2nd or 3rd option) and then use the cap space you get when he comes off the books next year.

For the most part, no star player is going to be "worth" his final year on his final contract of his career similar to the fact that they were probably "worth" more during the first three years of their rookie contract. I don't think you can really get hung up on that and besides pierce is still worth a good portion of it even if you think the 15 mill is high.

[clover]

Those numbers provide insufficient information for pricing a player. 

Nothing on efficiency, defense, ball handling, shot creation, performance under against the heightened defenses in the playoffs, etc.

[Monkhouse]

Sure the numbers sound good, but generally most players are given any upgrade on their contract dependent upon their value in the playoffs. If technically we're basing his playoff play into a contract, I wouldn't pay him no more than 6-7 mil.

Look at Bass, the way he played, he's certainly played up to his contract. Would I pay any more based on his playoffs? Maybe. Especially if some teams need a PF that isn't afraid of one on one isolation, and has a nice mid range jumper that most players still don't respect.

[wahz]

Kobe Bryant   Los Angeles Lakers   $27,849,149
Dirk Nowitzki   Dallas Mavericks   $20,907,128
Carmelo Anthony   New York Knicks   $20,463,024
Amar'e Stoudemire   New York Knicks   $19,948,799
Joe Johnson   Brooklyn Nets   $19,752,645
Dwight Howard   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,536,360
Pau Gasol   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,000,000
Chris Paul   Los Angeles Clippers   $17,779,458
LeBron James   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Chris Bosh   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Dwyane Wade   Miami Heat   $17,182,000
Deron Williams   Brooklyn Nets   $17,177,795
Andrew Bynum   Philadelphia 76ers   $16,889,000
Paul Pierce   Boston Celtics   $16,790,345
Kevin Durant   Oklahoma City Thunder   $16,669,630
Zach Randolph   Memphis Grizzlies   $16,500,000
Rudy Gay   Toronto Raptors   $16,460,538
Derrick Rose   Chicago Bulls   $16,402,552
Al Jefferson   Utah Jazz   $15,000,000
Carlos Boozer   Chicago Bulls   $15,000,000
Andre Iguodala   Denver Nuggets   $14,968,250
Manu Ginobili   San Antonio Spurs   $14,107,492
Marc Gasol   Memphis Grizzlies   $13,891,359
Brook Lopez   Brooklyn Nets   $13,668,750
Kevin Love   Minnesota Timberwolves   $13,668,750
Roy Hibbert   Indiana Pacers   $13,668,750
Eric Gordon   New Orleans Pelicans   $13,668,750
Russell Westbrook   Oklahoma City Thunder   $13,668,750
Tyson Chandler   New York Knicks   $13,604,188

8-10 million.

LaMarcus Aldridge   Portland Trail Blazers   $13,500,000
Emeka Okafor   Washington Wizards   $13,490,000
Luol Deng   Chicago Bulls   $13,305,000
Josh Smith   Atlanta Hawks   $13,200,000
Danny Granger   Indiana Pacers   $13,058,606
Nene   Washington Wizards   $13,000,000
Andrew Bogut   Golden State Warriors   $13,000,000
David Lee   Golden State Warriors   $12,744,000
Tony Parker   San Antonio Spurs   $12,500,000
Kevin Martin   Oklahoma City Thunder   $12,439,675
Ben Gordon   Charlotte Bobcats   $12,400,000
Kris Humphries   Brooklyn Nets   $12,000,000
Al Horford   Atlanta Hawks   $12,000,000
Hedo Turkoglu   Orlando Magic   $11,815,850
Kevin Garnett   Boston Celtics   $11,566,265
Joakim Noah   Chicago Bulls   $11,300,000
Jose Calderon   Detroit Pistons   $11,046,591
Monta Ellis   Milwaukee Bucks   $11,000,000
Rajon Rondo   Boston Celtics   $11,000,000
Corey Maggette   Detroit Pistons   $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum   Portland Trail Blazers   $10,825,000

For reference, those are the 50 highest players in the league.

So Pierce is the 15th highest player on the salaries list.  It's 2 million less than dwane wade lol.  Are you arguing that his salary is fair? Or that it's just not a superstar 20 million + amount? He's top 15 in salaries but is he in the top
I just don't think he's worth that much any more. He's just not good enough to warrant that kind of salary. I will admit that the reason I think he's not that valuable is because keeping him keeps us in a state of mediocrity for another year because we'll be too good for the lottery but not good enough for the playoffs.

I look at it this way:

Would I want pay him $15 million for next season? No.
Will some want to pay him $15 million for next season? Oh heck yeah.
Will his play warrant $15 million? Depends.

But sometimes you don't always do what you want to do in business. Sometimes you do what you have to do. And next year, the OP has a point, the best value we will get for that $15 million slot, is definitely having Paul Pierce play for the Boston Celtics.

And Rondo and KG at 11, so I said PP at 8-10. The question was what would you pay a guy with those stats and I answered. He is overpaid and at 8 He'd be underpaid and at ten he is a little underpaid. Kg took an awesome discount, why can't Paul IF it helps the organization?

[Moranis]

Pierce has been getting worse the last couple of seasons.  His shooting percentage was the lowest it has been in nearly 10 years.  He also isn't consistent anymore (both within the same game and from game to game).  Some games he looks like the HOFer he is and other games he looks like he shouldn't be in the league.  Even in 2 of the 3 triple double games he shot below 40% from the field and the other he was below 45%.  Pierce is getting worse and will be even worse next year.  All that said, I'd be more than happy to pay Pierce his contract if Boston was in a different place.  Pierce can still very much help a contender win a title, but Boston isn't a contender and thus there is no point in paying a HOFer at the end of his career that much money on a mediocre team.

[nickagneta]

Kobe Bryant   Los Angeles Lakers   $27,849,149
Dirk Nowitzki   Dallas Mavericks   $20,907,128
Carmelo Anthony   New York Knicks   $20,463,024
Amar'e Stoudemire   New York Knicks   $19,948,799
Joe Johnson   Brooklyn Nets   $19,752,645
Dwight Howard   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,536,360
Pau Gasol   Los Angeles Lakers   $19,000,000
Chris Paul   Los Angeles Clippers   $17,779,458
LeBron James   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Chris Bosh   Miami Heat   $17,545,000
Dwyane Wade   Miami Heat   $17,182,000
Deron Williams   Brooklyn Nets   $17,177,795
Andrew Bynum   Philadelphia 76ers   $16,889,000
Paul Pierce   Boston Celtics   $16,790,345
Kevin Durant   Oklahoma City Thunder   $16,669,630
Zach Randolph   Memphis Grizzlies   $16,500,000
Rudy Gay   Toronto Raptors   $16,460,538
Derrick Rose   Chicago Bulls   $16,402,552
Al Jefferson   Utah Jazz   $15,000,000
Carlos Boozer   Chicago Bulls   $15,000,000
Andre Iguodala   Denver Nuggets   $14,968,250
Manu Ginobili   San Antonio Spurs   $14,107,492
Marc Gasol   Memphis Grizzlies   $13,891,359
Brook Lopez   Brooklyn Nets   $13,668,750
Kevin Love   Minnesota Timberwolves   $13,668,750
Roy Hibbert   Indiana Pacers   $13,668,750
Eric Gordon   New Orleans Pelicans   $13,668,750
Russell Westbrook   Oklahoma City Thunder   $13,668,750
Tyson Chandler   New York Knicks   $13,604,188

8-10 million.

LaMarcus Aldridge   Portland Trail Blazers   $13,500,000
Emeka Okafor   Washington Wizards   $13,490,000
Luol Deng   Chicago Bulls   $13,305,000
Josh Smith   Atlanta Hawks   $13,200,000
Danny Granger   Indiana Pacers   $13,058,606
Nene   Washington Wizards   $13,000,000
Andrew Bogut   Golden State Warriors   $13,000,000
David Lee   Golden State Warriors   $12,744,000
Tony Parker   San Antonio Spurs   $12,500,000
Kevin Martin   Oklahoma City Thunder   $12,439,675
Ben Gordon   Charlotte Bobcats   $12,400,000
Kris Humphries   Brooklyn Nets   $12,000,000
Al Horford   Atlanta Hawks   $12,000,000
Hedo Turkoglu   Orlando Magic   $11,815,850
Kevin Garnett   Boston Celtics   $11,566,265
Joakim Noah   Chicago Bulls   $11,300,000
Jose Calderon   Detroit Pistons   $11,046,591
Monta Ellis   Milwaukee Bucks   $11,000,000
Rajon Rondo   Boston Celtics   $11,000,000
Corey Maggette   Detroit Pistons   $10,924,138
Nicolas Batum   Portland Trail Blazers   $10,825,000

For reference, those are the 50 highest players in the league.

So Pierce is the 15th highest player on the salaries list.  It's 2 million less than dwane wade lol.  Are you arguing that his salary is fair? Or that it's just not a superstar 20 million + amount? He's top 15 in salaries but is he in the top
I just don't think he's worth that much any more. He's just not good enough to warrant that kind of salary. I will admit that the reason I think he's not that valuable is because keeping him keeps us in a state of mediocrity for another year because we'll be too good for the lottery but not good enough for the playoffs.

I look at it this way:

Would I want pay him $15 million for next season? No.
Will some want to pay him $15 million for next season? Oh heck yeah.
Will his play warrant $15 million? Depends.

But sometimes you don't always do what you want to do in business. Sometimes you do what you have to do. And next year, the OP has a point, the best value we will get for that $15 million slot, is definitely having Paul Pierce play for the Boston Celtics.

And Rondo and KG at 11, so I said PP at 8-10. The question was what would you pay a guy with those stats and I answered. He is overpaid and at 8 He'd be underpaid and at ten he is a little underpaid. Kg took an awesome discount, why can't Paul IF it helps the organization?

Because I don't think its legal to do so.

Pierce's contract is such that three things can happen from here:

1. The Celtics can amnesty Pierce which would mean that all of his contract for next year is guaranteed and will be paid by either the Celtics, the Celtics and another club combined, or another club completely. Pierce's contract and services go into an auction and teams can vie for his services.

Highest offer of what they will pay, and can legally fit into their salary situation and the salary cap, wins Pierce's contract and services for one year. Whatever the difference is between the $15+ million Pierce is owed and what the winning bid is is paid by the Celtics. So if no one bids for Pierce(unlikely) Pierce becomes an UFA and can sign any contract he wants with anyone and the Celtics still have to pay him his $15+ million. If someone is willing to absorb his whole salary(unlikely) then they win the auction and the Celtics owe Pierce nothing.

Best guess under amnesty rules, the Celtics will wipe the contract off the salary cap books but still have to pay over $10 million for Pierce next year. I don't think this will happen because it would mean having no control over  Pierce's destination and does little to save the team money or get them salary space.

2. The Celtics can waive Pierce before a certain date. And if no other team assumes Pierce's $15 million contract, a highly likely scenario, the Celtics pay him $5 million, lose his Bird rights, and Pierce becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Celtics could then waste their MLE on re-signing Pierce for an MLE max 2-3 year deal with only the first year guaranteed

Then that means you are keeping Pierce and giving up the opportunity to make the team better by signing a free agent using the MLE. The only way that scenario makes sense is if Wyc Grousbeck suddenly decided that what's best fiscally for the C's next year is to bring this team back, get its salary under the luxury tax line, trot out a farewell Pierce and KG tour, hope they make the playoffs and make some playoff revenue, and then try to create some financial flexibility for the year after.

Doing this does little to nothing to help the Celtics unless major other moves are simultaneously planned and executed that reduces the long term payroll of the team.

3. The Celtics guarantee his last year at $15+ million.

Any way you slice it, those are the only way things can end. It is against the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement to renegotiate  existing contracts. The only way to get around such a thing is doing #2 listed above and as you can see, that scenario is fairly unlikely for a whole mess of different reasons the least of which being Pierce, once an UFA, may not want to re-sign here.

[Celtics4ever]

Depends on his shooting percentage.   I like efficient good shooting players who are not a liability on D.   I realize this is PP in the thread.  I feel  that PP has gave enough to the club to do what he wants but I also have mixed feelings about keeping him.

[CoachBo]

...and gets your three triple doubles.

I am completely mind boggled by the fact that any Celtic fan would think that anything other than bringing Pierce back next season is good for the team.  And this does not even take the sentimental reasons into account.

A young player averaging those types of numbers would command max dollars, and people are hesitant to give Paul "The MF Truth" Pierce 15 mill for one more season.  Are you kidding me!?!

Sure, he was gassed in the playoffs and had a ton of turnovers from handling the ball too much with Rondo out, but are you telling me there are better options out there for our money next year than what Pierce brings to the table? 

Ping pong balls? Been there, it's a long shot.  Bringing in multiple 2nd tier free agents with the money we would save.  We already saw how that worked out replacing ray (a hall of famer) with lee and terry?

You just can't replace the numbers I listed above, the leadership, the big shots, and the history that Pierce brings to the table.

Sure explore trades, but I don't think anything will come of it.

Pay the man. Play him less. Let him be a leader. Enjoy his last season.  See a fresh Pierce in the playoffs.  Let him retire a Celtic.  Send 34 to the rafters.

Worth every bit of that 15 million and then some.

And get him some help.

Absolutely spot on post. TP.