Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce. AP FILE PHOTO
WASHINGTON – Paul Pierce, a 10-time NBA All-Star forward, announced Sunday that he will join the Washington Wizards for next season, a move that appeared to confirm another free agent deal.
Pierce, who will turn 37 in October before the 2014-2015 campaign begins, indicated in a Twitter posting that he would join Wizards star John Wall in the nation’s capital.
“Obama, J Wall here I come,” Pierce tweeted.
“Welcome the truth paulpierce34 to Dc,” Wall tweeted.
Pierce reportedly has signed a two-year deal worth $11 million that would allow him to opt out and become a free agent after next season.
Pierce helped the Boston Celtics win an NBA title before being traded to Brooklyn ahead of last season, when he averaged a career-low 13.5 points.
The Nets parted ways with coach Jason Kidd, now the coach at Milwaukee, and are in a rebuilding mode, while Pierce joins a young Wizards team that went 44-38 last season and reached the second round of the NBA playoffs before losing to Indiana.
Signing Pierce appeared to confirm that the Wizards have lost Trevor Ariza, who reportedly has inked a four-year deal worth $32 million with the Houston Rockets, a key playmaker for Washington last season whom Pierce figures to replace in the lineup.