Paul Pierce plans on returning to the Clippers next season

Paul Pierce, anguished at having gone back and forth most of the summer over which direction his basketball career should go, is “leaning heavily towards returning” to the court to play for the Clippers during the 2016-17 season.

Pierce, who turns 39 on Oct. 13, will be entering his 19th season in the NBA, his second with the Clippers.

He played in 68 games last season, averaging career lows in points (6.1), field-goal percentage (36.3%) and minutes played (18.1).

“He didn’t like the way he finished last season,” said an NBA official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. “So he wants to come back and play again. It’s been a tough decision for him.”

Pierce, who was a star at Inglewood High, returned to his hometown of Los Angeles with the goal of helping the Clippers reach the championship level.

It didn’t materialize last season for Pierce or the Clippers, who lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers when All-Stars Chris Paul (broken right hand) and Blake Griffin (injured left quadriceps tendon) couldn’t finish the series.

Pierce had signed a three-year, $10.5-million deal with the Clippers during the summer of 2015 to reunite with Coach Doc Rivers, with whom he won an NBA championship in Boston. Pierce’s $3.527-million salary for the 2016-17 season is guaranteed and $1.096,080 of his $3.679-million salary in the final year of his deal is guaranteed. His salary for the 2017-18 season would become fully guaranteed on June 30, 2017.

Pierce was drafted 10th overall in 1998 by the Boston, where he spent the first 15 years of his career and where he had the most success.

He won the championship with Boston in 2008 and was named the NBA Finals most valuable player. He reached the Finals once more, when the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010.

During his 18 years in the NBA, Pierce averaged 20 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He shot 44.5% from the field, 36.9% from three-point range and 80.7% from the free-throw line.

Pierce’s career playoff averages are equally impressive: 19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5. He shot 43.3% from the field, 35.5% from three-point range and 83% from the free-throw line in the postseason.

Pierce hasn’t been the same player in the later stages of his career, becoming more effective as a power forward than the 6-7 small forward who dominated opponents. But he is a 10-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection.

Rivers told Yahoo’s the Vertical recently that there is a departure plan for whenever Pierce does retire.

“If he decides to retire, then we’re going to make sure that Boston picks (Pierce) up for one day and he retires as a Celtic, because that’s what he should retire as,” Rivers said on the podcast. “So we have all that in place.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner