Veteran forward Paul Pierce admitted that he wanted to reunite with former Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who is now coaching the Los Angeles Clippers.
Pierce, who signed with the Washington Wizards during the offseason, told Sports Illustrated that he wanted to sign with the Clippers during the offseason, and had talks with Rivers, who is also the team's president of basketball operations.
"I thought a lot about L.A. My wife wanted to stay there and put the kids in school," said Pierce, who is a Oakland, California native. "It would have been an easier transition for me being with Doc, being at home."
The 37-year-old small forward admitted that he regretted his decision to wait for the Brooklyn Nets to decide about his future, which led to the cancelation of his talks with Rivers and the Clippers.
"I think I missed out on that opportunity by waiting to see what Brooklyn was going to do," Pierce added. "When they eventually said they weren't going to make any moves, I missed that boat. That kind of upset me."
Pierce, who averaged 13.5 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 75 regular-season games with the Nets last season, admitted that he thought he would stay in Brooklyn, especially after Kevin Garnett decided to return, but the team eventually opted to go into a different direction.
"I really didn't know at first. I thought I would end up back in Brooklyn," Pierce said. "Talking to Kevin [Garnett], we created a bond over the years and I said I would come back and finish it out with him. Things didn't go the way we wanted, obviously. Brooklyn went in a different direction. I had to make a choice."
Pierce, who spent the first 15 seasons of his illustrious NBA career in Boston, also said in the interview that he is open to returning to Boston - not as a player, though, but as a coach or a front-office executive.
"Definitely. Maybe as a player, maybe as a coach, maybe upstairs," Pierce said when asked about his willingness to return to Boston. "I follow what they are doing. I went back to Boston twice this summer, went to their practice facility. I keep up with them."
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