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Paul Pierce Opting Out Would Be Good Sign For Washington Wizards

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Paul Pierce play with LeBron James

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

On the surface, Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce deciding to play next season while opting out of his $5.5 million player option might look like a bad sign for fans in the District. However, the Wizards should be happy that Pierce is finally committed to playing.

His decision won’t become official until the end of this month, but the omens are mainly good for Washington. It is still a possibility that he will join the Los Angeles Clippers, but their recent trade for Lance Stephenson should give Pierce some hesitation about playing in the Western Conference with a wild-card teammate. Why play in a tougher conference when the veteran could be virtually guaranteed a shot at getting to the Conference Finals in Washington?

Admittedly, Pierce lives in California during the offseason. He might even be tempted for his final season in the NBA to happen near home, and we all know how close he is with his former head coach Doc Rivers. But will that be enough for Pierce to change teams yet again? I’m not so sure.

The Clippers have little salary cap flexibility and can likely only offer a taxpayer mid-level exception of $3.37 million for next season, while Washington can sign him to a new deal starting for over $6 million once he officially opts out. Don’t underestimate how much the amount of money can affect whether an athlete likes a certain contract. My bet is that his comfort level and the cash will be two reasons why Pierce stays with the Wizards.

He averaged career lows in PPG (11.9) and MPG (26.2) during the regular season, but he proved his worth when the postseason started. In two series, he averaged 14.6 PPG in 29.8 MPG during 10 playoff games and helped a young Wizards team to experience additional postseason play. This project seems to be just on the edge of working out for Pierce, and it would be a shame for him to leave before Washington succeeds due to his mentorship.

Dave Daniels is an NBA Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.

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