Larry Bird Wanted Paul Pierce to Finish Career With the Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird would’ve loved to see Paul Pierce finish out his career in Beantown. Pierce is still beloved by Celtics fans, and has hinted that he’d eventually love to rejoin the organization in some capacity. Per the Boston Herald:

Having played his entire career with the Celtics, Bird would have liked to see Paul Pierce do the same. But, again, he isn’t doubting (Danny) Ainge’s decision to move Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn last summer, kick-starting the Celtics’ reconstruction in the process.

“My thing is you would always like to see Paul finish up there, and maybe he will,” Bird said. “But it’s tough. These decisions today are more scrutinized than they ever were. But you just hate to see a guy spend his whole career there and win a championship and then see him have to leave.

“But Danny knows what he’s doing. And maybe Paul can circle back around and finish up there.”

Part of the reason the Celts were compelled to deal Pierce and Garnett was based, in addition to getting first-round picks in return, on getting their salary structure in better line with the collective bargaining agreement.

“It’s tough,” Bird said. “The tax is brutal now. I know Boston’s been in the tax a lot in the past, but now 90-something percent of the owners don’t want to touch it. We like it here, because it makes it a level playing field.

“A lot of teams that are in the tax are trying to get under it and get out of it, and they give away players or picks. It’s a different league now than it was in the past, but I like it because it gives us an opportunity to put together a better team. But there are always going to be a couple of teams that the tax doesn’t mean anything to them.”

“I know it’s hard,” Bird said. “But Danny will do well. (The Celtics) will be all right.”