Brooklyn Nets NBA Trade Will Rejuvenate Paul Pierce in 2013-14 Season, Says LA Clippers Coach Doc Rivers

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers knows Paul Pierce was deeply hurt after he was traded by the Boston Celtics, but the one-time champion coach believes that the trade could rejuvenate the career of the veteran forward.

Drafted by the Celtics as the 10th overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft, Pierce bled green his first 15 years in the NBA.

Most experts never thought Pierce would wear another jersey in his lifetime, but the improbable happened when the Celtics pulled the plug and finalized a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Pierce was traded to the Nets along with fellow veterans Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and two future first-round picks.

Rivers believes that Pierce was emotionally hit by the thought that the Celtics gave up on him, as he asked the management to let him stay in spite of their intentions to trade him. Although it was a tough pill to swallow for the 35-year-old forward, Rivers is optimistic that Pierce will rise up rejuvenated with the Nets.

"I think in some ways, it may give him more life," said Rivers in an interview with Newsday. "But I just think it's tough for him personally. Like he said in the press conference, he wanted to stay and wasn't allowed to, and that's tough for him."

On the other hand, Rivers said that the blockbuster trade will also benefit the Celtics in the long run, while the Nets achieved their goal of being a serious title contender in the 2013-14 NBA season.

"If they're going to rebuild, then they needed draft picks, and they got them," said Rivers when asked about his former team, which released him to take the LA Clippers coaching job. "Brooklyn is trying to win it. They got that, so it's a win-win for both teams. The tough part of that trade was Paul. That's tough because he was a Celtic. Kevin was kind of from Minnesota and the other guy, Jason, had been there one year. But Paul, that was a tough one."