Possible Trade: Paul Pierce For Iguodala?

I'm probably as excited, if not more excited than anyone about the Sixers' early success.  They are flashy, fun, and overall exciting to watch.  They are quickly beginning to captivate the city with their high energy style of play, and Sixers fans finally have something to cheer about.  But the one thing that is holding fans back from really getting excited about this team is the absence of a legitimate scorer or super star.  The NBA is a super star oriented league, and in order to have a chance at winning the championship, you must have one on your team.

The Sixers may have six or seven guys that can put up double digits on any given night, but they simply don't have someone to rely on in crunch time.  So what should the Sixers do?  Should they concede the fact that they are just a good team, unable to compete with the likes of the Bulls or Heat in the playoffs?  Or should they make a move and try to bring in a super star?

The other day I was listening to Glen Macnow and Anthony Gargano on WIP.  Gargano brought up a possible trade that would send Andre Iguodala to the Celtics in exchange for Paul Pierce; straight up.  The deal sounds extremely absurd at first.  Why trade Iguodala who is 28 years old, for a past his prime Pierce who just recently turned 34?

But even at 34 years of age, Pierce is still a super star.  He is averaging 17.7 points per game, and just last night he had 28 in a big win against Indiana.  Pierce is not only a guy that can consistently score, but he can also come through in the clutch.  The Sixers have many good contributors, but there isn't one guy that you are confident in to come through with the game on the line.

While I definitely would love to have Pierce over Iguodala, I'm not an Andre hater and I know what he brings to the table.  He rebounds, he defends, he passes the ball, and he is deadly on the fast break.  But he isn't a guy that you build your team around or give the ball to when you're in desperate need of a bucket.  And if you're the Sixers and you keep Iguodala, you're basically settling to just be good for the next few years.  This season the NBA is wide open because many of the favored teams don't look too hot.  Miami is good but still building chemistry, the Bulls are beatable, New York is a mess, and the Eastern conference is there for the taking.  If you hold on to Iguodala you won't beat the Heat or the Bulls.  Let's not kid ourselves.  The Sixers are a very good team but without that legitimate scorer they aren't going to beat the elite teams in the post season.  I'm a firm believer in if you make the playoffs anything can happen, but it would be highly unlikely for the Sixers to do any serious damage.  Pierce takes your team from a solid team to a legitimate contender.  If the Sixers hold on to Iggy they will just be a good respectable playoff team for years to come.  But if they make a move this year, they could give themselves a realistic shot at winning a championship.

Of course this trade is all based on rumors and speculation.  There have been no official reports that the Celtics are looking to dismantle the Big Three, but it's just something to keep in mind as the year progresses.  I think Pierce for Iguodala is a very intriguing trade and if given the opportunity, the Sixers should do it in a heart beat.