The storied NBA franchise of the Boston Celtics is on the verge of another extensive rebuilding process with the team potentially making some major moves before next season. The loss of one player will literally rock the foundation of the franchise with the Celtics set to buyout the last year of Paul Pierce’s contract with the team.

Next season, Pierce is set to make $15 million and will become an unrestricted free agent the following July. Although Pierce isn’t the player he once was earlier in his career with the Celtics, the superstar forward remains a formidable scorer with value to teams around the league.

Pierce has always maintained a desire to retire as a member of the Celtics after spending 15 years with the team and having not played with another team throughout his Hall of Fame-caliber career. Despite Pierce’s desire to stay in Boston for the remainder of his deal, the team wants to go in another direction and would rather buyout Pierce’s final year for $5 million before the deadline on June 30 rather than keeping him on for $15 million with the team likely to struggle once again.

Once Pierce officially hits the free agent market, there will almost certainly be considerable interest in his services around the league. With Pierce still having one, two or maybe even three years left in him, the veteran forward will land elsewhere and a decent rate.

Rumors have already started to circulate about the Cleveland Cavaliers expressing interest in signing Pierce once available. Although Pierce may be a good fit for a team still trying to find its identity with rising star Kyrie Irving at the helm, the one-time NBA champion will likely want to play out his remaining years in the league with a legitimate contender and the Cavs may not fit the bill.

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