NBA Rumors: Paul Pierce to return to Los Angeles Clippers

Paul Pierce will be returning to the Los Angeles Clippers for his 19th NBA season.

Paul Pierce has been a mainstay in the National Basketball Association for almost two decades, and on Tuesday, a source told LA Times writer Brad Turner that “The Truth” plans to return for his 19th season.

The 38-year-old Pierce has one guaranteed year left on his contract, and will earn $3.5 million next year. He also has another year left on his deal after the 2016-17 season, but only $1 million of the $3.7 million is guaranteed.

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During the 2016 NBA Finals, Pierce told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he was undecided on whether or not he would return for another season. During the interview, he said he would only come back if he could play a full season, which would hopefully include another playoff run. However, he also expressed that he was unhappy with his role last season.

“I thought I had one more good year (this past season), but obviously I didn’t like how it all went with my role,” Pierce told Washburn. “I’m still just trying to figure it out. A lot has got to do with my role I’m going to play. To come back and sit 82 games, I don’t know if I can do that.”

Last season, Pierce appeared in 68 games for the Clippers, making 38 starts in his first season with Los Angeles. However, he set career-lows in almost every category, including minutes per game (18.1), and points per game (6.1).

The Clippers won 53 games last season, but ended the year losing in the first round of the playoffs. The team was ravaged by injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who both should be healthy for the start of next season. The Clippers have some nice depth to their team, but will need to be at 100% if they are going to be able to challenge the Western Conference favorite, Golden State Warriors.