NBA Rumors: Paul Pierce to retire in one or two years?
By Bryan Rose
No matter how great a player is, Father Time always makes an appearance and for Brooklyn Nets swingman Paul Pierce, it sounds as if the end is nearing.
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The longtime member of the Boston Celtics, who was traded alongside Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in hopes of an NBA Championship struggled (as did his team) during this past season and Pierce, talking to TMZ, stated he feels he only has one or two more years left in the league.
“It’s a long grind. It’s a long grind dawg … I only got 1 or 2 years left in me.”
Pierce isn’t exactly ‘old’ by NBA standards considering he’s still 36, so it’s conceivable to think that he could play more than another season or two if he so inclined. Of course, Pierce has a lot of extra mileage on his knees given the successful seasons in Boston where he went deep into the postseason, so the extra 148 playoff games (nearly two full NBA seasons) could be breaking him down a bit sooner than he would have hoped.
As for his contract, Pierce is currently a free agent though he gave no indication on what he plans to do in free agency. Many assume he’ll return to the Nets given their solid roster, though, he may wait to see what LeBron James decides to do (like the vast majority of other NBA free agents) before making his own decision, be it returning to the Nets or playing elsewhere.
Might he eventually return the Celtics for one final season in green and white?