Washington Wizards preferred Paul Pierce to Trevor Ariza?

By Bryan Rose | Sep 24, 2014

Apr 27, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards fans hold rally towels in the stands against the Chicago Bulls in the fourth quarter in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 98-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

It seems that if the Washington Wizards wanted to re-sign Trevor Ariza, all they had to do was hit his desired $10 million per season salary request and the two would have a deal.

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Of course, the Washington Wizards didn’t end up doing that and Trevor Ariza decided to sign with the Houston Rockets. Instead, the Wizards replaced Ariza with Paul Pierce, who general manager Ernie Grunfeld seemingly preferred.

"President Ernie Grunfeld held firm on the contract details and wouldn’t meet Ariza’s $10 million asking price because he had Pierce up his sleeve. And Pierce agreed to come on a shorter deal for half the price, added a new dimension with his playing style and still picked up the leadership slack left behind."

While Paul Pierce isn’t the same type of player he once was and is likely a step down from Trevor Ariza, the Washington Wizards aren’t trapped in a long-term deal with their former forward and have an adequate replacement. That may not seem like much right now but if Kevin Durant becomes a free agent in 2016 as many expect, the Washington Wizards certainly want to be in position to sign the 2013-14 NBA MVP. If Trevor Ariza would have signed a deal with the Wizards, bringing Durant in would have been a bit more difficult.

Of course, that’s not to say the Washington Wizards weren’t interested in bringing Trevor Ariza back – they most certainly were. But they wanted to do it at a price and year length they deemed appropriate.

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