Pierce claimed there was no truth to speculation he would ask for a trade if the Celtics failed to land the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the May 22 draft lottery. He remains in wait-and-see mode. But when asked if he was committed to the Celtics, Pierce, like Ainge, chose his words carefully.
"I've been committed to this organization for nine years," said Pierce. "So, I think everybody knows that when I re-signed to an extension last year."
Ainge commented:
"Paul signed a $90 million contract to play with the Boston Celtics. He made it clear to us he wanted to play out his career [here]. I know Paul wants to win as bad as anybody and I want Paul to win. [Co-owner] Wyc [Grousbeck] wants to win. Doc wants Paul to win. We will do all we can to help Paul have team success and Paul will do all he can to help us have team success. That's what the partnership is. That's why we signed him to a long-term contract. That's what we expect of Paul."