Clippers' Paul Pierce: Confirms he'll play in 2016-17

Pierce confirmed Tuesday that he's "leaning heavily towards returning" to the Clippers for the 2016-17 season, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Analysis:

Pierce likely won't formally commit to playing during the upcoming season until closer to the start of training camp in the fall, but it looks like the soon-to-be 39-year-old is interested in making one last potential run at an NBA title with one of the league's top teams. Unfortunately for the 10-time All-Star, it's difficult to imagine him providing much in the way of fantasy value after he averaged career-low marks in points per game (6.1), field-goal percentage (36.3%) and minutes per game (18.1) in his 68 appearances last season. The Clippers still have underwhelming options at small forward, so barring an unexpected resurgence from Pierce, look for the veteran to split time at the position with Luc Mbah a Moute, Wesley Johnson and Alan Anderson.