Will Paul Pierce Be Traded To The New Orleans Pelicans?

The NBA trade deadline is long gone, but that doesn't stop rumors are swirling around. Free agency is looming, and one rumor will directly affect the Boston Celtics, and one of their best players. 

At the end of his contract, the now 35 year-old Paul Pierce is also nearing the end of his career. He spent his entire time in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, but now there is talk of him being sent to the New Orleans Pelicans along with Avery Bradley for Eric Gordon - a shooting guard for the Pelicans.

Now these are just rumors, and it's not the first time that there has been talk of shipping off Paul Pierce to another team to make the Celtics younger. Getting rid of Avery Bradley, however, makes no sense.

If the Celtics were to keep Paul Pierce for the last year of his contract, they would have to pay him $15 million. If they cut him, or trade him, they only have to pay him $5 million.

Would trading a lifelong Celtics like Pierce sit well with the fans? Would Boston have to fight off some serious backlash after the move, or would fans accept that it's time to move on?