Pierce's 4th Year Not Fully Guaranteed

by Jeff Clark on Aug 19, 2010 5:00 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston beat me to the punch on this one. Remember when Pierce signed and there was some confusion over that final (4th) year being fully guaranteed or not? It was reported at the time that it was fully guaranteed and that's why the deal got done. In reality it is a little more complex than that.

Pierce's future - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston

According to the supremely helpful salary database at ShamSports.com, Pierce's four-year contract is set to be paid out in escalating increments of $13.9 million next season, $15.3 million in 2011-12, and $16.8 million in 2012-13 before dipping back to $15.3 million in 2013-14.

The final season is only $4 million guaranteed, becoming $5 million if Pierce participates in 50 percent of Boston's games (regular season and playoffs) over the preceding three seasons, according to a note on the site. The deal is fully guaranteed if Pierce is not waived on or before June 30, 2013.

The upshot is that if Paul's play declines to the point where the team is comfortable waiving him before the end of June 2013, then the team would only be on the hook for $5M (less if he misses significant time).

Now don't get me wrong, the Paul Pierce fan in me wants to see him stick around and earn his full paycheck. But the fan-for-life in me wants to see the team maintain cap flexibility as we enter Rondo's prime. Especially when we don't know what the new CBA is going to look like. So I consider this to be a pretty nice win for Danny Ainge.

Pierce himself is talking about the end of his career being "three or four" years away. So there's a chance that he could finish out 3 years and say "you know what, its been great, but I'll just hang 'em up and take $5M to walk away." He's already talking about finishing his career with a year or two overseas so he could recoup some if not all of the money he's walking away from.

Regardless, he gets to walk away from the game on his own terms and the team has a little bit of flexibility without alienating the face of the franchise. Sounds like a win-win to me.

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the truth once again shows

why he is a great and loyal celtic. This deal is more team friendly than any of us could have really hoped (be realistic, the man had to get paid something CLOSE to market value), and we get what just about all of wanted to see and that’s paul finish out his career in green.

"Take it to the hoop, there's a dance involved." - DJ Tommy

by WillyBeamin on Aug 19, 2010 5:15 PM EDT reply actions

Between he and Ray......

..the Celtics have two huge pieces for $25-27M per year for the next two years. The only way it isn’t worth it is if a major injury takes one or both of them out. Otherwise, no matter what happens, it is well worth it for the team and its fans.

by 17wasEZ on Aug 19, 2010 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Dig your name man

17 was easy, when they look back on 18 it’s journey will have been long and arduous, harder work. Thus more enjoyable when it happens.
You know 4 chips in the kg erawould have been greasy anyway, 2 or 3 however…

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 6:31 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I am changing my name to Bent Spirit

still have no idea what you meant on the other post though

Is it Soup Yet?

by Master Po on Aug 19, 2010 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions

bent not necessarily Bent.
Just refering to the many bent(never broken) comments I have been reading of recent.

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 9:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Greedy not greasy, damn self correcting iPhone

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 9:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Wao. He's truly a Celtic. And some people want to trade him yet.

Thank Paul.

by celt4ever on Aug 19, 2010 6:05 PM EDT reply actions

Holy freaking crap that was beautiful to read.

Great deal all around for everyone. Way to go Pierce. That’s what I’m talking about. Loyalty. Love it.

The Once and Future King

by FlaGators on Aug 19, 2010 6:26 PM EDT reply actions

Go to real gm and Check the free agent class of 2013… If we don’t make major moves in 2012 we have many options in free agents of 2013

by Pmartin60 on Aug 19, 2010 6:36 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Solid list

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 6:56 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Hopefully they don’t sign extensions thought …

by Pmartin60 on Aug 19, 2010 7:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Hopefully they don’t sign extensions thought …
Imagine if we could get Dwight Howard, and a devan Harris….
Put Dwight at center and kp at power forward.. Rondo at point and Harris at shooting guard.. Who knows who well get for small forward. But with those 4, the heat won’t even have a chance. Whose gonna stop dwight Howard and perk

by Pmartin60 on Aug 19, 2010 7:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Just checked the list again.. Scratch devan Harris and add Gerald wallace

by Pmartin60 on Aug 19, 2010 7:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I was thinking Wallace as well, but with perk not Howard
how bout the Beard off the bench for cheap

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 9:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Pierce has been my favorite celtic for a decade

And don’t get me wrong I am pleased that he will pull one season of seasoned veteran duty as the celtics rebuild. Not to mention there would be nothing stopping him returning for a playoff push ( for the vet min) as he would be waived.

Again, I have always dug pierces game, and and so thankful he is our leader, has evolved into the leader/player he is, and that he will finish his career here. But still if he wanted to give the team a discount and more cap space than essentially $45 for 3 years and $5 for being a celtic legend. Just sayin.
By the way are they gonna give every other retired Celtic legend $5mil just for being? I am sure Russell or Bird earned an extra $5mil with their play here, considering they got paid pittance compared to today’s stars, many of whom are much … Less competitive.

Again there is no one I would rather sign at $45 mil for 3 years with a nice bonus than pierce. he did give a discount, yes but really I was still expecting about 10 mil less than that and hoping for 15 mil less. For purely team related and reloading purposes of course not for lack of his own efforts.
Ahh well.

by Warrior Spirit on Aug 19, 2010 6:50 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

So why have the contract start small and escalate?

I’d rather it go in the other direction. They’re already over the cap now and they’d have more flexibility in year 3 if it were sliding down, rather than up. The only way I see that it saves the team is if they are planning not to be in luxury-tax territory in years 3 and 4—which is bad news if you are a fan.

by clover on Aug 19, 2010 7:23 PM EDT reply actions

luxury tax

owners dont want to pay it or pay as little as possible

by Brendan on Aug 20, 2010 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Right--which only adds up if they're not planning on paying it at all through the latter years of the deal.

by clover on Aug 20, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t even want to think of the Celtics w.o Paul Pierce. He’s been our franchise for a long time and the only real bridge between now and Larry’s era. Hearing the word “done” just sounds odd, like an NBA w.o Shaq.

by Scalablob990 on Aug 19, 2010 8:57 PM EDT reply actions

i agree

no Paul will feel weird , nowhere ready for it

by j804 on Aug 20, 2010 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions

I'll worry about this issue in three years

by post-it note on Aug 20, 2010 12:34 AM EDT reply actions

seems like a win/win

I love Pierce, but if his game declines, we’re on the hook for only 5 mil OR we have a 15.3 mil very flexible expiring contract to trade to a team that can then be bought out and he can finish in Greece like he wants to while helping the celts get a good addition in rondos prime.

by cordialb on Aug 20, 2010 9:16 AM EDT reply actions

I will like the Pierce contract extension deal more so if that the 4th year is not fully guaranteed....

When he originally signed the extension it I did not like the idea of the 4th year being guaranteed at all.

If that 4th year is not guaranteed it I hope will give the C’s more flexibility to rebuild in addition to all the other big contracts like KG’s – Shaq’s – Jermaine’s and Rays coming off the books in 2012.

by fordescort on Aug 20, 2010 10:10 AM EDT reply actions

Shaq is coming off the books in 2012...

But he’s not a big contract (vet minimum).

The big questions will be next summer when BBD and Perkins’ contracts come up. What DA decides to do with those contracts could have a major impact on the C’s cap flexibility in 2012. My guess is that BBD is gone, since I think it’s a mistake to use up available cap space for reserve players; you fill reserve spots with exception money once you’ve gone OVER the cap. But what about Perkins?

by Stanford_Fan on Aug 21, 2010 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions