Rivers: Pierce was choosing between Clippers and Celtics this offseason

Paul Pierce considered returning to the Celtics. AP

By Brian Robb

September 4, 2015

3 minutes to read

Paul Pierce will be playing for the Clippers next season, but a return to the Celtics was given strong consideration by the small forward, according to his new head coach.

Doc Rivers revealed that interesting nugget on Wednesday at the TD Garden, as he took part in a fundraising event for ABCD Hoops Dreams. Rivers spoke glowingly about the former Celtic to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston, and also indicated that the 37-year-old small forward was choosing between the Clippers and another team besides the Washington Wizards, the franchise he suited up for last year.

“I’m really looking forward to him. You know, I think he wanted to go one of two places: One, he’d come back [to Boston] or he wanted to finish his career at home where he grew up, I think it’s really cool for me that I get to be a part of [Pierce’s Los Angeles homecoming].’’

Pierce signed a three-year contract with the Clippers for the taxpayer mid-level exception in July, and his reasons for electing to join his former coach seem rather obvious. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and co. give Pierce a better chance at winning another ring than most franchises, even in a loaded Western Conference.

Flanked by key new additions such as Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson, Pierce will help bolster the depth of a Clippers team that had arguably the worst bench out of any contender last season. Together, the revamped group will try to push the Clippers past the second round for the first time in franchise history.

Still, ESPN reported back in June that Pierce was deciding primarily between LA and his former team in Washington during the free agency period, making the new of his Celtics’ consideration a bit of a surprise.

Perhaps the Celtics were boosted by a surprising playoff run at the end of last season in Pierce’s eyes. That, along with the need for some depth and shooting at the small forward spot, may have led Pierce to believe he would have been a strong fit on the court (beyond benefiting from the nostalgia of a return).

Danny Ainge has mentioned in recent years that he would always welcome Pierce back with open arms, and the team did have the salary cap space to match the eventual salary he got from the Clippers. Ultimately though, it appears the allure of chasing another championship won out, and the Celtics still look like they are at least another year or two from that possibility.

Rivers, who went after Pierce in the summer of 2014 as well, was happy to be able to lock down the future Hall-of-Famer after he was spurned in favor of Washington last offseason.

“I wanted to smack him over that one. Of course we didn’t have any money to give him. Washington had the mid-level; we offered the minimum. And I thought the minimum was a better deal but he didn’t. No, he did the right thing,’’ Rivers said.

The decision to give Spencer Hawes the full mid-level exception over Pierce in the summer of 2014 may have caused the Clippers a chance at a championship last year. Hawes proved to be ineffective for much of the season, while the Clippers had no real depth at small forward behind Matt Barnes.

Meanwhile, Pierce turned back the clock with the Wizards, hitting countless clutch shots throughout the postseason to help carry the undermanned squad to a hard fought second-round defeat.

Rivers has wisely tried to rectify his mistake, freeing up the money needed to land Pierce this summer. Still, it remains to be seen if the Pierce acquisition is enough for the Clippers to get over the hump in the West.

In the meantime, Celtics fans will have to wait another year or two to see if Pierce eventually elects to close out his storybook career in Boston.