NBA Trade Rumors: Paul Pierce Would Make Lakers NBA Title Contenders

The unraveling of the Boston Celtics players and organization is slowly beginning to take flight, and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers are prepared to catch the Celtics' players where they may fall before the NBA trade deadline.

One of those players is Paul Pierce, the face of the Celtics franchise for many years.  He is rumored to be coveted by the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets over the past few days.

The one team that stands out that could very much be a player for Pierce is the Lakers, who need another offensive piece to their team, and they also have the pieces needed to land such a player as Pierce.

Pierce would help the Lakers substantially, as he can consistently hit down shots from nearly every point on the floor, something that would be very nice for Kobe Bryant to have. Bryant has yet to have that guard he can lean on once things get hectic and the team needs a big basket.

Pierce can get the Lakers that big basket, and he has been known to do it in Boston in the most dire of times for the team.

Of course, the Lakers have those pieces to deal for Pierce and Pau Gasol immediately jumps out.

Gasol would fill the need for the Celtics at center, a position they have lacked talent at the entire season. It has been a mix of Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox for a good portion of this year.

The Lakers may need to offer a little more than just Gasol for this trade to work, as Pierce has been the face of the Celtics organization for the past 14 seasons. But this would benefit both teams, as well as boost both teams' odds of furthering themselves in the NBA Playoffs.

Currently, the Lakers do not have the depth or talent to matchup with the Spurs or Thunder, and the Celtics are almost guaranteed to be a first-round exit in the playoffs if they stay where they are as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

Adding Pierce helps the Lakers the most out of these two teams and it could easily fuel this team into the Western Conference Finals.