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Paul Pierce turns 37 in October and isnt quite the offensive force he was when he was leading the Boston Celtics to the championship seven years ago. Air Max Tn Canada . The old man showed last year in Brooklyn that he still knows how to knock down a clutch shot and grind out a playoff series victory, which made the up-and-coming Washington Wizards eager to add the man known as "The Truth." Pierce and the Wizards agreed to terms on a two-year deal on Saturday night, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The deal is for the mid-level exception, which is about $5.3 million for next season, and includes a player option in the second year of the contract. The person requested anonymity because the Wizards have not officially announced the signing. "Welcome the truth (at)paulpierce34 to DC....wizkids!!" Wizards point guard John Wall tweeted. After spending the first 15 seasons of his career in Boston, Pierce is on the move for the second straight summer in a deal first reported by ESPN, and the Wizards couldnt be happier. Wall and Bradley Beal have formed one of the most exciting young backcourts in the league, and they helped the surprising Wizards to their first playoff series victory since 2005. Looking to build on that momentum, the Wizards have already brought back coach Randy Wittman, signed centre Marcin Gortat to a five-year, $60 million and brought back veteran point guard Andre Miller. One player it appears they werent able to retain is swingman Trevor Ariza, who agreed to a four-year, $32 million deal with the Houston Rockets, according to several reports, including USA Today. "I want to thank (at)WashWizards (owner) (at)TedLeonsis ... for two great years," Ariza tweeted. "I will (always) be grateful for you guys. Much love... To my lil bros (at)John--Wall and (at)RealDealBeal23 stay on that grind love yall boys. .wizkids .respect." It didnt take long for the Wizards to rebound. Now those "Wiz kids" have another big brother to help show them how to take the next step. Pierce averaged a career-low 13.5 points last season in his first year with the Nets. But he is a 10-time All-Star who has gained a reputation as one of the best big-moment players in the league. Pierce doesnt have a game that relies on extreme athleticism or quickness. Its predicated more on instincts and an ability to initiate contact to create space to get off that trademark high-arching jump shot, which should allow him to remain effective longer than other players who lose some of the juice in their legs as they get older. "I would like welcome Paul Pierce to The Wizards family. Were going to have a great run," Gortat tweeted. "Its going to be an honour to play with such an amazing player." It also further underlines the major disappointment in Brooklyn. The Nets gave three first-round draft picks to the Celtics last summer to bring Pierce and Kevin Garnett in and make a run at a championship. But a team that cost owner Mikhail Prokhorov about $190 million after luxury tax payments got off to a horrid start to the season, beat the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs and then were dismissed in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Miami Heat. Coach Jason Kidd lost a power struggle with Nets management and wound up in Milwaukee and now Pierce is gone as well. Nike Air Max Fury Canada . Halak, 28, split his eighth NHL seasons between the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, compiling a 29-13-7 record in 52 games. Air Max 90 Canada Sale . Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-95-canada-sale.html . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp.Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen blasted the Canadian Soccer Association on Friday, saying cooperation between the two parties is all "one-way traffic." After putting the finishing touches to his teams preparations for Saturdays Major League Soccer match against Real Salt Lake, Nelsen voiced his frustrations at a perceived injustice as he loses four of his players to Canadas Gold Cup squad following the game. Doneil Henry, Jonathan Osorio, Kyle Bekker and Ashtone Morgan are all named in Canadas squad for the Gold Cup and will report to the teams training camp in California after the weekend. Toronto had asked if they could keep two of the four players until after Wednesdays all Canadian match-up at home to Montreal Impact. So far the Canadian Soccer Association hasnt agreed to that, and Nelsens comments on Friday will have done nothing positive for relations between club and country. "Theyve taken four of our players and a coach (Pat Onstad) without even a thank you," said the former New Zealand international. "Unfortunately thats the problem we are in. We develop them, and we give them the opportunity more than any other clubs and then they take them away. Its a bit frustrating but I suppose thats life." "We let Canada Soccer use our facilities, we give them a coach, we try and develop as many good young players as we can and all we are asking for is one day where we can just keep a couple of them. Unfortunately it is one-way traffic so we will have to live with that. They will come in and use our facilities and our coaching staff. We will open our arms to them again when they keep asking." "One of our coaches is out there working hard for Canadian soccer right now - hopefully we get a thank you letter. Its nice that we can help them out but hopefully one day we can get a favour in return. I want Canadian soccer to win more than anybody. All I am asking is for a couple of them just to stay one more day. The players are more frustrated than anyone so that might come back to hurt them in the long-run." Nelsen says the international absentees will leave his club so short that for the Montreal match he "wont be able to put a squad together," and "cant fill the bench." Ryan Nelsen isnt the only MLS coach to complain about the current situation. Over the last few years, Major League Soccer has tried to improve scheduling to avoid playing league matches on international dates. The situation is better than it was, but still needs improving. Clubs should not have to play matches without three or four of their best players who are away on international duty. It devalues the product, and can often lead to an unfair advantage for the opposition. If MLS is to meet its goal of being one of the top leagues in the world by 22022, its a massive issue that needs to be resolved. Air Max Deluxe Canada. The scheduling is far from ideal, however the Gold Cup is also not a surprise. It is something clubs needed to plan for well in advance. Saturdays opponents Real Salt Lake have been hit as badly as any other MLS team. They have already lost joint leading scorer Alvaro Saborio who has linked up with the Costa Rica squad early. Following Saturdays match, they will then be without starting goalkeeper Nick Rimando, defender Tony Beltran, and Captain Kyle Beckerman. They are four players who would be in the starting lineup on a regular basis, but who the club has to cover for during the next month. Of the four players missing for TFC, only two – Henry and Osorio – have started matches regularly in recent weeks. Morgan has only made one substitute appearance in the last seven matches and Bekker hasnt appeared in MLS since March, however both may have been called upon to fill the void had they not been selected for Canada. Aside from those absentees, Nelsens squad size is currently reduced by the fact that the club decided to waive defender Logan Emory on Thursday, and they remain unable to call upon defender Danny Califf who has been away in California attending to personal matters. In a perfect world, clubs and governing bodies would foster positive relationships where they try and accommodate the needs of all parties. Toronto FC obviously feels the CSA isnt doing its part right now, but speaking out so publicly is a dangerous tactic and more likely to lead to bad blood between the two groups than a resolution. While I believe the scheduling of MLS matches during the Gold Cup is a major but somewhat unavoidable issue, I do think all clubs releasing players to a country should follow the same rules no matter how many players they have called up. The CSA cannot give one club preferential treatment. If Toronto FC is allowed to keep one or two players until after Wednesdays match, why should Vancouver Whitecaps be forced to release Russell Teibert? The Caps also have Simon Thomas called up for Canada and Carlyle Mitchell joining Trinidad and Tobago. Fortunately for Vancouver, they managed to work an agreement with Honduras which means Johnny Leveron has not been included in the Gold Cup squad. Toronto FC president Kevin Payne is asking the CSA to change its mind and let two of the four players stay behind, but as of Friday afternoon the club was still waiting for a response. While Toronto FC is left feeling aggrieved at the situation, there really is very little the CSA can - or should - do at this stage. Hopefully moving forward, both parties can work together to develop a more positive relationship. Toronto FC against Real Salt Lake is live on TSN2 on Saturday, June 29 at 1pm et/10am pt. ' ' '