It’s official: Paul Pierce is a member of the Washington Wizards.

The Truth hinted at his move to D.C. on Twitter Saturday night, which sparked a wave of welcome messages from his future teammates. And Thursday afternoon the Wizards made the official announcement.

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Washington dedicated a full front-page splash and put a release on its website, announcing the next chapter of Paul’s illustrious career will take place in the nation’s capitol.

“We are very happy to welcome Paul to our organization and add his championship experience and history of clutch play to our team,” Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said.  “He will be a good fit alongside our young, dynamic backcourt while his presence and leadership will make a difference for us both on and off the court.”

Paul averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 28 minutes per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from three in 75 regular season games for the Brooklyn Nets last year. In 12 playoff games he played over 30 minutes per game and averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and two assists per contest.

Last season was The Truth’s only season in Brooklyn after spending the first 15 years of his career in Boston, where he was a 10-time All-Star while posting averages of 21.8 points, six rebounds and nearly four assists per game. He played in 136 playoff games for the Celtics, including two Finals appearances, and was named Finals MVP in 2008 when the Celtics won the NBA Championship.

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Jason Kidd, who coached Paul last year during his lone season in Brooklyn, believes the addition makes the Wizards a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.

“They’re going to be one of the top teams in the East,” Kidd said. “They got a veteran guy who understands what it means to be a professional, comes to work every day and understands what it takes to win championships….He’s going to help them all and they’re going to help him. When you talk about work ethic, he comes every day early to do his job. He’s been in a lot of battles, classic championships. He’s going to help these guys understand what it takes to win.”

After earning the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and making it to the second round of the playoffs last year, Washington is a club looking to make that next step up to compete for a championship—and in a wide-open conference, many of the players believe The Truth could prove to be the missing link.

Point guard John Wall, who led the team with an average of 19.3 points, 8.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest last year, spoke about the addition of Pierce while at a Baltimore Orioles game last week.

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The fifth-year guard out of Kentucky, who has steadily improved through the first four years of his career, sees Paul as just the veteran leader the team could need, particularly in crucial late-game situations.

“I think he’ll give us another versatile guy who can put the ball on the floor, attack the basket and also knock down shots,” Wall said. “He knows what it takes, he knows how to prepare us and get us ready for every game and situation. When you have someone who has been through it and made those tough shots, he can take the pressure off of me and Brad (Beal).”

Ultimately though, Wall also hopes The Truth’s clutch, veteran presence will pave the way to postseason success, and as a tool for his personal growth.

“It’s big to have Paul Pierce, The Truth, here,” he said. “He’s proven that he’s won in this league. He’s a clutch player, he’s won an NBA championship,” Wall said. “I’ll just try to pick his brain as much as I can and learn from a veteran that did everything I’m trying to do in this league.”

Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell, who is serving as head coach for the Wizards team at the Las Vegas Summer League, and was Paul’s teammate on the 2008 NBA Champion Celtics, believes the move makes a big statement for the Wizards and will pay big dividends in D.C.

“It’s a blessing, man, to have that kind of leadership, that kind of experience come to your team,” Cassell told The Washington Post’s Michael Lee in Las Vegas. “He’s going to uplift this whole ball club. It was big that we got him.”

Swingman Otto Porter, who is averaging 19 points per game under Cassell’s watch for D.C.’s summer league squad, also couldn’t hold back his excitement about the arrival of The Truth.

“When I heard, I was like ‘wow.’ That’s a veteran guy. That’s a winner. He knows how to win playoff games, he’s been there and done that,” Porter said. “The Truth is coming to D.C.—so that’s exciting.”

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