The Brooklyn Nets and Paul Pierce still stand apart financially on a deal that would bring Pierce back to Brooklyn, according to a report from ESPN New York:
The Nets would like to pay Pierce around $6-8 million per season on a short-term contract, sources say.
Pierce, however, as first reported by Sports Illustrated and confirmed by ESPNNewYork.com, would like to be paid around $9-10 million.
Via ESPN New York — Sources: Pierce wants $9-10 million per year
The difference between the two is only a couple million, which could indicate that a deal is close. But those millions add up for the Nets in the luxury tax, and there’s been reports that the team wants to curtail spending after a loss of $144 million on the basketball side of their operations.
Pierce isn’t worth $9-10 million purely for his on-court skills, but he provided a needed stability in last season’s turmoil and performed best during the team’s first-round playoff victory over the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28 minutes per game, moving to power forward midway through the season.
