NBA Free Agency: Most Overrated Signings

May 14, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (center) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard

(left) and Miami Heat forward

(right) defend during the second half in game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 96-94. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Pierce, SF

New Team: Washington Wizards

Well, well, well… Pierce signing with the Wizards was quite the surprise, wasn’t it? I have to admit, I did not see that coming at all. While I like the deal for the Wizards who needed a veteran leader last season, I don’t know how much Pierce has left, especially on defense.

Last season, Ariza was far from a defensive juggernaut, but at least he’s not known for his defensive shortcomings, like Pierce. Pierce played well for Brooklyn last season when he played more of a stretch-4. Jason Kidd was also able to hide Pierce on defense by using Alan Anderson, Joe Johnson, and Shaun Livingston on the floor with Pierce. Anderson, Johnson, and Livingston are much better at defending on the wings than Pierce was last season.

In Washington, the best lineup is with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, and Nene. That would force Pierce to guard either the opponent’s shooting guard or small forward. At this point of his career, he’s a defensive liability at each position. In the East, that means Pierce is matching up with LeBron, Paul George, Luol Deng, Carmelo Anthony, Joe Johnson, Jabari Parker, and Josh Smith. Realistically, can Pierce guard any of those guys in crunch time or in the playoffs? That’s the question.

Washington has Otto Porter Jr. waiting in the wings to fill-in for Pierce, who will probably only play about 25 minutes per game. On offense, I expect Pierce will be used most as a spot-up shooter, too, which he should be able to handle. I don’t foresee John Wall or Bradley Beal sharing the rock with Pierce to come off a ball-screen or take the shot with the clock winding down.

A two-year, $10 million deal isn’t bad for Washington, who are gearing up for a run at Kevin Durant in the near future. The contract isn’t the bad part of Pierce joining the Wizards. It’s the fact that a team that was close to reaching the Eastern Conference Finals took a slight step back this offseason and took a chance on a player who could be done, and looked it for the first month or two of last season.