Report: Celtics Hope To Lure Kevin Love To Boston With ... Paul Pierce
BOSTON (CBS) -- The 2 o'clock hour on Wednesday brought about a number of surprising developments in the land of the NBA.
First, Marc Stein reported that Kevin Love will opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, thereby making him a free agent.
Then, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a tweet that will interest folks in Boston on two levels.
For one, if Love goes on free-agent visits, the Celtics are likely to try to entice him to sign in Boston.
But secondly, they're going to try to sell him on being a teammate of ... Paul Pierce.
"If Kevin Love goes forward with visits in July," Wojnarowski tweeted, "expect Boston to sell him on pursuing group of Love, Robin Lopez and...Paul Pierce."
You'll note that neither Robin Lopez or Paul Pierce are currently on the Boston roster, so that's quite the scoop.
Pierce will turn 38 years old in October, but he's coming off a renaissance season of sorts with Washington. He played a career-low 26 minutes per game, averaging 11.9 points, four rebounds and two assists, but he also hit a number of clutch shots in Washington's second-round series against Atlanta. He also managed to serve as the focal point for Toronto in the teams' first-round matchup.
The scuttlebutt around the league this week had Pierce eventually ending up playing for Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers. But apparently, the Celtics have different plans.
Pierce, of course, played 15 seasons for Boston, winning the title in 2008, before he was traded to Brooklyn prior to the 2013-14 season.
Lopez, 27, averaged 9.6 points, five rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for Portland last season.