Paul Pierce did not see the Rajon Rondo trade coming.
With the Celtics dealing Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 18, Boston traded away the last remaining member of the Celts’ 2008 championship team. Or as Pierce put it before his Washington Wizards blew out the Celtics 101-88 on Saturday night, “The last of the Mohicans is gone. Now they’ve got a new regime in,” according to the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett.
Pierce, who suited up for the Celtics for 15 seasons before being traded alongside Kevin Garnett in 2013, said it was the timing of the trade that really surprised him, but at the end of the day he understood it was a business decision.
“I was a little bit surprised, especially because trade season starts close to All-Star or after All-Star break,” Pierce said, per Bulpett. “Not a lot of trades happen in mid-December. You know, teams are trying to find their stride. But we had a chance to talk. We had our weekly mass text, and he understood the situation. The Celtics were either going to go in one direction, build around him, or continue with the youth movement. So I think Rondo understood it.
“I was shocked definitely, because I thought this was a year they were going to maybe this summer find some pieces to put around him. But he had a great run in Boston, and as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
The Celtics were unable to make any big splashes this past offseason, which Pierce said was what ultimately led to Rondo’s departure.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports Images
