Leon Powe will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is not a sure thing to return to Boston.

"We'll see where it goes," said Powe, 25. "I'm just trying to get my leg right. If they want me to come back, I'd love to come back. If not, I'll go for something else."

"We have to cross that bridge when we get to it," said his agent Aaron Goodwin. "We are first and foremost concerned with having a good surgery and rehab progress.

"I would hope the Celtics would bring Leon back. He can be back midseason. If not, we will check with other teams to see if they would let him sign through his rehab. If not, he'll be looking to play midseason somewhere.

"We want to make sure he has the best opportunity to rehab the knee. Quite honestly, if the Celtics are not going to participate in that, we want to find the best place for him to come back as quickly and strongly as possible."

"What I hope for him first and foremost is that he's healthy and that he is playing well," said Paul Pierce. "As far as him being a free agent, it's tough when you have an injury like that, understanding the business and where the economics is today. It's a bad situation.

"But people have to understand he's a hard worker, and if he can get back and get his knee right, I don't think he'll have a problem being with the Celtics or wherever he may be."