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Washington Wizards Free Agency 2015: How Paul Pierce’s Decision Will Impact Kelly Oubre

By Ben Mehic

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As expected, Paul Pierce has decided to opt out of his contract with the Washington Wizards and will officially test the free agent market this summer.

While the Wizards are still optimistic about the idea of The Truth returning to the nation’s capital, it’s no secret that a number of other intriguing teams will express interest in signing the future Hall-of-Famer.

After trading Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes for Lance Stephenson, the Los Angeles Clippers have lost much of their depth. They have a hole left at the starting small forward position that Paul Pierce could potentially fill. His connection with his hometown and the coaching staff — specifically Doc Rivers and Sam Cassell — will make Los Angeles a legitimate destination for Pierce.

The Boston Celtics could also be looking to sign Pierce, as reports indicate it’ll be a selling point for Kevin Love, who they also might be looking to acquire this off-season.

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Pierce, who’s almost 38-years-old, could be looking to finish his career where it started.

The former Celtic is arguably a top five player in the franchise’s history, and given their unexpected success this past season, Pierce could play the same role in Boston that he did in Washington. He’d serve as a go-to scorer in late-game situations and would lead a team comprised of young players.

With all that said, I think it’s safe to assume that there’s a solid possibility that Paul Pierce has played his final game in D.C., even though they could pay him north of $6 million if he decides to return.

Assuming Pierce leaves, the Wizards are going to be left with another hole to fill this summer.

Otto Porter was tremendous during the playoffs and could potentially start in the absence of Pierce. However, behind Porter, the Wizards don’t have much depth.

Martell Webster was expected to take over as the team’s primary backup guard behind Bradley Beal last season, but a third back surgery seems to have ruined Webster’s chances of becoming a regular contributor again.

Ernie Grunfeld will have the mid-level exception, bi-annual exception and a few traded player exceptions to work with this off-season. Players who could fit into one of those exceptions, as J.Michael noted, are Jared Dudley, Tayshaun Prince and Mike Dunleavy. Those options certainly don’t jump off the screen, but they are solid.

Still, Paul Pierce’s impact in D.C. has been seen more off the floor than on. His confidence and swagger has been picked up by John Wall, Bradley Beal and Porter. All three players elevated their play during the NBA Playoffs and will continue that this upcoming season. Pierce’s demeanor changed the mindset of Washington’s three key pieces, which is something that the three aforementioned free agents don’t have the ability to do.

This past Thursday, the Wizards added another piece that could end up becoming a key contributor in the future: Kelly Oubre.

Washington does have plenty of veteran players on their team that Oubre would be capable of learning from, but none of them have the pedigree nor leadership skills that Paul Pierce possesses.

“Veteran leadership” has become a cliche term that many young teams love to throw around, but in this case, it’s legitimate.

The Wizards gained a lot from having Pierce in the locker room and if he leaves, Oubre will miss a very great chance to learn from one of the best to ever play his position.

Perhaps even more importantly, Oubre might be forced to learn quicker than intended.

Washington’s lack of depth at the wing positions might force Randy Wittman to play Oubre right out of the gate.

A rotation of Paul Pierce, Otto Porter and another free agent, say, Gerald Green, would be good enough to carry the Wizards for most of the season. If Pierce does not return, Oubre might get a lot more playing time than originally expected, which could be good or it could be disastrous. For what it’s worth, Kelly Oubre has apparently been spending a ton of time learning the game with Beal’s trainer, Drew Hanlan.

I’m confident that Kelly Oubre is a hard worker and will eventually become a good player along side Washington’s young core, but I’m not convinced he’s ready to become a rotation player next season.

At 19-years-old, Oubre isn’t coming into the NBA with a ready skill-set. He’s got all the raw, physical tools to have a successful career, but he doesn’t have the experience to compete against elite-level players yet. After all, he’s just a few years removed from playing high school basketball.

Replacing Paul Pierce seems like it might be easy, but in reality, it’s going to be tough to replace his presence in Washington — on and off the court. Kelly Oubre isn’t ready to be thrust into a major role, but if Pierce decides to bounce, he just be have to play more than expected.

Next: Can Dez Wells Make The Final Roster?

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