One of the potentially biggest offseason concerns for the Celtics is Paul Pierce, and his looming player option, which if he decides to exercise, would add his name to the star-studded 2010 free agent class. If he opts to stay with Boston, the team would owe him $21.5 million.
The team is wasting little time in dealing with this, having already scheduled a meeting with Pierce's representatives for after Thursday's NBA Draft.
Though it's unclear whether it will involve a restructuring of Pierce's deal, which has two years remaining, or even an extension, his camp hasn't sent a proposal or a plan to management.
Though, as CelticsBlog writes, it seems no matter what does Pierce does, ultimately, he will still be a member of the Celtics in 2010-11.
Paul Pierce is going to remain a Celtic. If he picks up his option to stay, he'll be paid $21M for next season. If he opts out of his last year to become a free agent, the intent will be to restructure his deal to add years to it. The big value there is the uncertainty of the year after next where the league faces a collective bargaining agreement battle. If there's a prolonged strike or lockout, it could prevent free agents (like Pierce would be if he doesn't restructure his deal) from getting another deal. If the work stoppage lasts all year, all the players could lose a whole year of money and a free agent like Pierce would be that much older.
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