Several contending teams have asked about Pierce’s availability, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. One Eastern Conference official reportedly said that there are “lots of calls asking if [Boston] will blow it up.”
The inquiries aren’t all that surprising considering the Celtics are sitting at 4-8 and have lost five in a row for the first time since the Big Three Era began in 2007. The C’s have looked old and sluggish, which puts Danny Ainge in the unenviable position of deciding whether to enter a rebuilding mode now if he thinks his team can’t contend for a title.
Ainge already drew scrutiny for trading Kendrick Perkins last season, but trading Pierce could be extremely unpopular, as not only has the Kansas product spent 13-plus seasons in green, but it would also signify that the championship window is officially closed for the Big Three.
Pierce, a nine-time All-Star, is averaging 15.7 points in 32.4 minutes per game through his first nine games this season — both of which would be career lows.
Still, Pierce has long been the team’s most popular player, and one who will surely garner consideration when it comes to hoisting the next retired number to the TD Garden rafters.
