NBA Rumors: Time for Celtics to Trade Paul Pierce and Blow Up Roster

It's time.

It's time to admit that the Boston Celtics, as currently constructed, aren't going to win another NBA title. It's time to trade Paul Pierce—painful as that will be for Boston fans—to a contender while he will still bring back solid returns.

It's time to start throwing around the one word that fans and players alike dread:

Rebuild.

And after Boston's five-game losing streak that saw it start the year with a 4-8 record (it snapped the skid with a win over the Toronto Raptors last night and are 5-8), the NBA vultures have started to circle. From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

"

As Kevin Garnett and Allen become free agents this summer, money will peel away from the salary cap. Between then and now, the bigger question promises to be: Does ownership and general manager Danny Ainge go for the complete rebuild and trade Pierce before the March 15 deadline? Several contending teams have inquired about Pierce’s availability. As one Eastern Conference official said, there are “lots of calls asking if [Boston] will blow it up.”

"

There's something to be said for loyalty, and moving a lifelong Celtic like Pierce would be painful for all. But winning heals all wounds, and it's always better to move a veteran player while he has a little left in the tank rather than keeping him until he's only puttering by on fumes.

Even if the Celtics get hot and start winning again, is this team really going to compete in the East with the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat? Are the Celtics and the Big Three ever going to be a championship unit again?

The answer is no.

If the Celtics want to hit the floor running on their rebuilding movement, they'll blow up the roster now, trade Pierce and build a young team around Rajon Rondo.

It's time.

Hit me up on the Twitter—my tweets are FDA approved.