Paul Pierce Would Be Crazy to Retire Before Another Celtics Championship Run

If the Boston Celtics have proven anything since the All-Star break, it's that this team is anything but done. Nevertheless, Paul Pierce may be just that as soon as the season ends.

The Celtics' longtime franchise player is thinking about calling it quits this summer after 14 seasons with a team he helped return to relevance.

There are more than a few reasons this revelation is, at the very least, surprising. Pierce will be fresh off his 35th birthday when he starts next season, a season in which he's due to earn nearly $17 million. If he were beset by rampant injury or otherwise breaking down, then his timing might make sense—but Pierce has remained relatively healthy.

Despite some early-season ailments, the small forward has played 57 of his team's 60 games, averaging no less than 34.6 minutes a contest.

And those have been productive minutes to be sure.

Pierce is averaging 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals this season, numbers made all the more impressive by Boston's depth of go-to options like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. His 43 percent shooting isn't far off his 45 percent career mark, and his overall efficiency remains exceptional. Pierce's 18.81 player efficiency rating ranks him fourth among small forwards.

While there's little question the Celtics would miss Pierce, he may be asking whether he'd actually miss the Celtics. There's good reason to believe he would. 

Boston has an elite and reasonably priced point guard under contract for at least three more seasons. That alone could prolong the career or someone like Pierce—he'll continue to get good looks at the basket without having to rely on first-rate athleticism or speed.

Boston could also retain one of either Garnett or Allen, especially if one of the veterans were willing to take a pay cut and make room for free-agent acquisitions.

General manager Danny Ainge has the kind of options that give Boston a chance to skip an unpleasant rebuilding process. If neither Garnett nor Rondo re-sign, the organization's payroll will be just under $35 million, leaving enough cap space to pursue a top-flight free agent with some change left over.

Even if, for example, Garnett did re-sign for something in the $10 million range, the Celtics would still have the room to add a nice piece.

Boston has proven that it can hang with the likes of the Miami Heat, and a few adjustments could prolong its window of opportunity for another championship. The emergence of second-year guard Avery Bradley shows how promising that future may be—he's averaged over 13 points over his last 10 games, making the most of his insertion into the starting lineup.

If Pierce is ultimately persuaded by family ties or simply on the verge of mentally checking out, any rationale for staying may be a lost cause.

If he wants a shot at another ring, though, he just might want to hang around the Celtics for another season.