Paul Pierce signs deal to retire as member of Celtics (Video)

In a move that should’ve been expected by everyone, it looks like Paul Pierce will be retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics.

Paul Pierce is a big part of the Boston Celtics’ history, and the Celtics are a big piece of Pierce’s career, so it only makes sense for things to come full circle for both sides.

Pierce announced last summer that the 2016-17 season would be the last in his NBA career, and that led to plenty of heartfelt moments throughout his final year in the league. Now, we got one more tear-jerker from The Truth and the boys in green.

In a tweet on Monday afternoon, the Celtics posted a picture of Pierce posing in his Celtics gear, along with a new 34 jersey to rep. While there weren’t any specifics laid out, the team later confirmed they would be signing Pierce to a one-day deal so he could retire as a Celtic, and posted video of the cool moment on Twitter.

In a statement from Pierce, he shared how grateful he was for the opportunity to return to where it all started for him, and where he won his lone NBA title in his career.

“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to once again call myself a Boston Celtic,” Pierce said. “The organization and city took me in and made me one of their own, and I couldn’t imagine ending my career any other way. I’m a Celtic for life.”

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Pierce played 15 of his 19 seasons in the league as a member of the Celtics, before short tenures with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and finally the Los Angeles Clippers. One of the best moments of his final year came during his last time playing at the TD Garden, where he drained a 3 in the final minute of the game to send the Boston fans into a frenzy.

Maybe what the team should’ve tried to do, instead of signing Gordon Hayward, would be to invest large amounts of money to get Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen back on the team for one last run as the Big Three.