Pierce Re-Signs with C's

As expected, the Celtics and Paul Pierce have come to an agreement on a new contract. The deal is reportedly worth $61 million over four years with only the first three years guaranteed. The deal cannot be officially signed until next Thursday but we can now count Pierce in for the 2010-2011 season. This move allows the Celtics to have a little bit more financial flexibility as it tries to return to the NBA Finals and earn the franchise's 18th championship. The team will not be in the market for LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, or any of the other premium free agents but this deal does allow them to seek out higher quality free agents to fill out their roster. The next step for the Celtics is to make a decision on shooting guard Ray Allen. It is expected that he will follow the example of Doc Rivers and Pierce and return to Boston but Ray is expected to draw heavy interest from the teams involved in the LeBron-Wade sweepstakes so it is no guarantee he will return. With Pierce signed, the Celtics have seven players under contract for next season including draft picks Avery Bradley and Luke Harangody but not including Rasheed Wallace, who is expected to retire. That number also includes center Kendrick Perkins, who is not expected to play until January at the earliest because of knee surgery. Danny Ainge now has the difficult task in front of him of building a deep enough roster to keep the Celtics on top of the Eastern Conference. The biggest need is in the middle with Perkins' injury and Wallace walking away from the game. They also need wing players, with Tony Allen joining Ray Allen as a free agent. Ainge reportedly talked with the agent for free agent forwards Brad Miller and David Lee yesterday. Miller would be a nice fit as a center/power forward while Lee - coming off his first career All-Star season - will probably be too rich for Boston. Another potential target could be Brendan Haywood. As for wing players, the team has shown interest in Anthony Morrow of the Warriors. The 6-5 swingman is an excellent shooter who would potentially replace Tony Allen's role on the team with the added benefit of being a much more skilled offensive player. Ainge could look to use the contract of Rasheed Wallace to entice the Warriors to complete a sign-and-trade for Morrow which would then preserve the Mid-Level Exception (MLE) for the C's to use on a big man. However things play out, it is a great sign for the next three years that the Celtics will have the services of Pierce as a foundation for their team. I have never been the biggest fan of Pierce but he is the cornerstone of the Celtics and having him under contract is a good thing for this franchise.