Paul Pierce signed with the Washington Wizards this offseason after one year with the Brooklyn Nets. Pierce says the Nets never made him an offer.
"Truthfully, I thought I was going to end up back in Brooklyn, with Kevin [Garnett]. I told Kevin, if you're not going to retire, then I probably will come back. But when Brooklyn didn't give me an offer, it was like, I talked to him, and I kind of started looking at my options then," Pierce told NBA.com.
Pierce signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Wizards this summer. The deal includes a player option for year two.
Nets general manager Billy King cited the team's logjam at the power forward position and an additional $20 million in luxury taxes as reasons why Brooklyn did not try to retain Pierce. The Nets spent $197 million in payroll and luxury taxes last season. Going into this year, Brooklyn was determined to lower that number. They are currently projected to spend roughly $130 million this year.
"Brooklyn's been, or New Jersey, Brooklyn, they're a franchise that's going in a different direction, I think," Pierce told NBA.com. "They said they wanted to cut costs, they felt like they weren't going to be a contender. Right now, they're kind of in the middle right now. And I really didn't want to be in the middle. I didn't know if they wanted to do a sign-and-trade. I had to make my own destiny. I couldn't put it in the faith of somebody else. And that's when I was like, I'm coming here."
The Wizards are coming off a 44-38 season in which they made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Washington is hoping that Pierce's experience and clutch shot making, along with continued growth from John Wall and Bradley Beal, will put them in the upper echelon of a weak Eastern Conference. Pierce replaces the departed Trevor Ariza, who shot a career high of 40% from beyond the arc last season, in the starting lineup.
The Nets, meanwhile, will be getting 7-footer Brook Lopez back from injury this season. Lopez is one of the most talented post scorers in the NBA, but he has dealt with several foot injuries in his career.
Brooklyn finished sixth in the East last year with a record of 44-38.
