Paul Pierce to Opt out of Wizards Contract, Become Free Agent

After spending 17 seasons in the NBA, small forward Paul Pierce still isn't ready to hang up his sneakers for good. 

Pierce informed the Players' Tribune he plans to opt out of his contract with the Washington Wizards and become a free agent. He was set to make $5.5 million next season with the Wizards.

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reported on June 19 Pierce will likely decide between the Los Angeles Clippers and Wizards as his destination.

“I’d love him back. I think he wants to be back. I don’t know, I won’t put words in his mouth, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said, per Castillo. “I think what he saw with these guys and the heart this team has. Why wouldn’t you want to play the end of your career with a group like that?”

Pierce nearly prolonged the Wizards' stay in the 2015 NBA playoffs, but his potential game-tying three-pointer was still in his hands as the buzzer sounded in Game 6 against the Atlanta Hawks. Pierce's heroics certainly made fans nostalgic, and his trolling of Drake and the Toronto Raptors after the first round only earned him more admirers.

He averaged 11.9 points in 26.2 minutes on the floor during the regular season, both of which were career lows. According to Basketball-Reference.com, his 15.2 PER was also the lowest he has ever posted.