The Brooklyn Nets introduced their new head coach today and thus ushers in an era where winning is hopefully plentiful. One decision that the Nets still need to make though revolves around Paul Pierce and his contract demands — demands he handed out on Monday afternoon.
According to SI.com’s Chris Mannix, Pierce is looking for a contract in the range of $10 million per season over the next two seasons, which would mean that someone would have to pay $20 million to the aged veteran.
Paul Pierce's representatives have told teams Pierce is seeking a two-year contract in the $9-10 million per year range, per sources.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) July 7, 2014
Pierce, like most free agents, is waiting until the LeBron/Melo/Bosh dust settles to see if more cash frees up around the league.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) July 7, 2014
Pierce getting a $20 million contract is a ridiculous notion but it’s something that someone might pay. The biggest thing to take away from this is that he seems to now be out of the Clippers price range, as Los Angeles is not giving Pierce $10 million per season.
Still, the Nets might be crazy enough to do it and if they do it would prove that they’re all-in once again for a title in 2014-15. Brooklyn is strapped for cash though and adding Pierce at $20 million over two years is a questionable investment given the return we saw in 2013-14.
