Baron Davis opts out
Hi again! Yesterday I made my announcement that I’m leaving to go to grad school, and now I’m back 5 minutes later! This is because Mutoni is using his Canadian-given right to celebrate Dominion Day, or Canada Day. Thankfully there is some big NBA news today.
Baron Davis has decided to leave $17.8 million on the table (just like me!) by opting out of the final year of his six-year contract, which he originally signed in 2002 with the Hornets, and took him to where he is now, with Golden State.
“I’m surprised, because $17 million is a lot of money for a year of basketball, but that’s his prerogative,” Warriors Coach Don Nelson said. “He talked to me a couple days ago and said he was coming back. . . . Opting out of a $17 million contract, that’s (bold).”
I always love it when a word is subbed in with (), especially when used by someone like Don Nelson. What did he really say?
This does not mean Baron is done as a Warrior, but he definitely used his leverage coming off of a season where he played - get this, all 82 games. Unheard of for Baron Davis! The Warriors were caught slightly off guard here.
Davis had maintained for months that he wanted to remain a Warrior and was telling members of the organization last week that he would not opt out, but with mere hours to spare, the man most responsible for breaking Golden State’s 12-season playoff drought reversed course.
With talks on a contract extension going nowhere, he played the last major piece of leverage he had.
To summarize what can happen going forward, either the Warriors let him go and gain an infinity of cap room to make a move for a replacement like Gilbert Arenas, or they could do a sign and trade which would hurt their cap situation.
Either way, Baron is getting a long-term deal somewhere, and possible destinations are the Clippers, Memphis, and Philly to name a few, with an avalanche of trades to come if any of that happens. The Baron era, Boom Dizzle, B Diddy etc. era in Golden State has been tons of fun. Bring him back! You’re the Warriors, you’re built for entertainment.
55 Responses to “Baron Davis opts out”
Jul.1 at 8:20 am
Ken says:
I wonder how much he’ll end up getting, whereever he goes.
Jul.1 at 8:21 am
Ken says:
Oh, and I bet the word was “gully” instead of “bold.”
Jul.1 at 8:24 am
Gerard Himself says:
Now what will happen next? He’s not gonna get more money than 17 million anywhere. I’m really surprised. Hope he stays though.
Jul.1 at 8:24 am
TADOne says:
This surprised me. I’m guessing he is off the table for Detroit now.
Jul.1 at 8:41 am
rav says:
warriors going after arenas now according to washington post - looks like they dont care about winning
Jul.1 at 8:44 am
neaorin says:
Something tells me he already got some GM to agree to his ridiculous demands, otherwise he wouldn’t opt out.
Jul.1 at 8:54 am
Hursty says:
Corey Maggette and Elton Brand have both opted out as well, this is turning into a pretty strong free agency year, never mind 2010.
Jul.1 at 8:59 am
Chou says:
What a surprising move. Hope he stays though.
Jul.1 at 9:01 am
Hursty says:
Chou you better watch out with that link name…. its gonna get you in a lot of trouble round here (its blaspemy actually).
Jul.1 at 9:06 am
TADOne says:
Yeah, Elton is bigger news to me. Although I heard the Clippers are gonna just re-sign him.
Jul.1 at 9:10 am
Money Bill Williams says:
i laugh that TAD relates everything to the pistons
Jul.1 at 9:13 am
TADOne says:
Yeah, the Pistons could use Elton. How’s that??
Jul.1 at 9:19 am
Hursty says:
Rockets could use him more…. skip, tmac, battier, Brand, yao. scola backs up the 5 and they run when yao is sitting and Landry is also kept. Hayes and Head go for a pick in 1st round since rockets dont need another player right now and they cheap and bad. Although I would take Baron for Skip any day, Skip was the biggest surprise of the season, even more than Landry’s contribution. *22 game streak.
Jul.1 at 9:19 am
Money Bill Williams says:
who should they get rid of to get EB?
Jul.1 at 9:23 am
TADOne says:
Well, the Clippers would need to re-sign him to trade him first, because I think there are only 3 teams with cap space. That being said, I would give them Chauncey and Sheed.
Jul.1 at 9:25 am
Pro says:
Seems like Riley’s interested in EB, I’m not sure why though I thought and hope Beasley’s the real future of the Heat…
Jul.1 at 9:28 am
Money Bill Williams says:
i dont think chauncey and sheed could be traded for one player, let alone an ageing, not athletic player with a suspect ankle
Jul.1 at 9:32 am
Hursty says:
they dont need to resign Livingston, harsh as it is, the minimum 5.8 million to sign Shaun would go a long way for either Gil or Baron as they are both L.A natives. Although Gil is crazy he probably will back up his words and resign with the wiz since Jamison did. Thus making Baron the better (more liekly option) but as always its Donald Sterling and hes slightly insane and is tight with the $. rockets would have to get rid of Head, Hayes and Novak, problem is they are WAY over the cap so Bobby Jackson would have to leave too somehow. I like the young fella they brought in at the end of last year (forget his name) and wouldnt mind having him stay. Darryl Morey is smart though so anything is possible. The Rockets are most likely to trade up for a point though. Click our blog name to see the steal Morey made. Dude is savvy
Jul.1 at 9:32 am
WhaHuh says:
he is not going to get anywhere close to that next year. Artest didnt opt out and hes “only” getting 7.6 mill
Jul.1 at 9:34 am
TADOne says:
As long as the money fits, you can definitely trade 2 players for 1. I would definitely take a chance on Brand myself.
Jul.1 at 9:37 am
Money Bill Williams says:
hurst, rockets cant get dizzle coz theres to much cap taken up for brad newley
Jul.1 at 9:38 am
Money Bill Williams says:
the glitz of LA will have Sheed ready to play
Jul.1 at 9:44 am
Hursty says:
….. Sonny…. hes not even signed with the rockets…. his rights are the only thing they have. I know your j/k though.
Jul.1 at 9:55 am
Brandon Hoffman says:
I love B. Diddy. But I don’t see how this is in his best interests unless he plans on taking a massive paycut. The teams with room to sign him to a comparable deal to the one he opted out of — are “turrible.” If he ends up taking a paycut to play for a championship contender, he instantly becomes one of my favorite players.
Jul.1 at 10:10 am
Money Bill Williams says:
brandon, are you a driver or a passenger of the future bandwagon?
Jul.1 at 10:17 am
Brandon Hoffman says:
@ Money Bill Williams - Lol. I’m not a bandwagon jumper. But I have a lot of love for guys who say they want to win, and aren’t afraid to back up those statements financially. That’s one of the reasons I have so much respect for Tim Duncan. TD took a less than max deal so the Spurs could surround him with better talent. That’s admirable.
Jul.1 at 10:25 am
Money Bill Williams says:
most players all talk up wanting to win, but most become deaf like the reaper once pay cuts are made. Same as Sonny Bill.
Jul.1 at 10:29 am
D.J. says:
The mavs need 2 pull a Danny Ainge out of their hats a get Brand & Davis. I can dream cant I?
Jul.1 at 10:29 am
Money Bill Williams says:
i think players need to stop thinking of winning. Not everybody can win, The NBA is a business and the players are the employees. if you own a fruit store and make a lot of money, but decide you want to make substansially less money so you can win the world championship fruit sellers award, you would be labelled an idiot and not a very smart businessman. Let the players be business men and let them play for individual glory
Jul.1 at 10:34 am
ciolkstar says:
B Diddy rockin the dope ass old school Hundreds cap with shades and (if I remember correctly) a Purple flannel shirt. Style-wise, on and off the court, Baron is a bad man.
Jul.1 at 10:44 am
ciolkstar says:
MoneyBill is wrong. Players genuinely wanting to win is what keeps the competition healthy. Granted not every team/player can win a chip and it should not be the sole marker of success, but it is a neccessary drive.
Jul.1 at 12:07 pm
DP says:
Moneybill I don’t agree with your logic but I agree that there are a lot of players in the game that just play for the green. Which is not a bad thing because that is their JOB but it is also their JOB to win and bring in those championships. Because who doesn’t want to be the best at their craft? Those who don’t want to be the best are just there to be there. Anyways, O.J. and Baron. I kind of like that little pairing right there. O.J. can be Baron’s little Monta again and I really believe in the next couple of years Darko will average 18 and 11 for a couple of seasons.
Jul.1 at 12:15 pm
tenorca says:
Sad morning for a Warrior fan: a possible Arenas offer and Baron opting out? Remember the last time we lost a talented rookie who then went elsewhere, played like an allstar, then got bionic knees, then got him back? Yeah. It was Chris Webber. It worked out terribly.
Here’s to keeping BD, forgetting about Gilbo, and playing our bevy of pretzel-thin lefties next year.
Jul.1 at 12:43 pm
Gerard Himself says:
suuuure, OJ and Baron…. dream on.
Jul.1 at 12:53 pm
B. Long says:
If the Lakers don’t sign him I’ll hunt Mitch down, kidnap him, and make him listen to Shaq-Fu records for 72hrs. straight. Make it happen, Mitch…I’m serious.
Jul.1 at 2:05 pm
tenorca says:
B Long: you already stole Pau, you greedy freaks! Hands off.
Jul.1 at 2:18 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i’m hoping Baron is only forcing the warriors hand for a long term deal. him leaving for LA would be devastating for the Bay.
Jul.1 at 3:04 pm
tenorca says:
And, for the record, Nellie called it “ballsy” http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2008/07/01/well-well-well/
Jul.1 at 4:48 pm
B. Long says:
Baron is coming home boys. Get used to it.
Jul.1 at 5:06 pm
Dale Wittig says:
I didn’t see this coming. Really bad for the Bay. Anway, word is he’s not interested in playing for L.A.; he wants to play for D’Antoni in N.Y. Probably already has the deal worked out, shifty little devil.
Jul.1 at 5:54 pm
tenorca says:
Warriors would have to sign and trade with the Lakers, which, God willing, they’d never do. They aren’t about to hand LA the chip next year for some bum like Odom or Pau.
Jul.1 at 8:28 pm
B. Long says:
So has Baron signed with the Lakers yet? I’m waiting….
Jul.1 at 8:39 pm
albie1kenobi says:
HOLY FCUKING SH!T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
according to marc stein, Baron has verbally agreed to play for the clips.
i’m completely dumbfounded.
Jul.1 at 8:47 pm
rav says:
he’ll be fecked off if brand goes tho
Jul.1 at 8:48 pm
albie1kenobi says:
5 years for $65 mil. he’s taking a paycut to play for the clips?
with the definite emergence of blazers, it’s already a slim chance for Warriors to get back to the postseason. if this Baron/clips signing happens for real with Elton back, there’s no way in hell GSW can even smell the playoffs. the thought of GSW being stuck in lottery land again makes me sick to my stomach, and i’m not even a diehard warriors fan. UGH.
Jul.1 at 8:58 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
But…I thought he really wanted to stay! I’ll never trust anyone again.
Jul.1 at 9:00 pm
iLL wiLL says:
Baron is a fool. Straight up. Do teams actually believe the Baron will play back to back 82 game seasons? Methinks not.
Jul.1 at 9:05 pm
WhaHuh says:
wow, this sounds like a big shock to Warriors fans. I bet they wished he telegraphed it like Arenas did now
Jul.1 at 9:06 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i finally know what “dazed and confused” means… i mean this HAS to be more shocking than kwame for pau right?
Jul.1 at 9:22 pm
WhaHuh says:
I went to Golden State of Mind, I think its fair to say dubs fans are overreacting
Jul.1 at 9:25 pm
D.J. says:
Breaking news clippers fans! baron davis agreed to a 5 yr, $65 million deal. enjoy ur new point guard
Jul.1 at 9:34 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i bet Clipper Darrell just had like 40 orgasms in a row…
Jul.1 at 10:20 pm
d.Y. says:
Dizzle NO! Has playing for the Clip Show (ha) ever worked out for anyone? ANYONE?
Jul.2 at 1:39 am
Dacre says:
Brandon Hoffman says:
@ Money Bill Williams - Lol. I’m not a bandwagon jumper. But I have a lot of love for guys who say they want to win, and aren’t afraid to back up those statements financially. That’s one of the reasons I have so much respect for Tim Duncan. TD took a less than max deal so the Spurs could surround him with better talent. That’s admirable.
________________________________________________
TIM DUNCAN TOOK A LESS-THAN-MAX DEAL SO HE COULD BE SURROUNDED BY 40 year olds.
Jul.2 at 1:40 am
Dacre says:
d.Y. says:
Dizzle NO! Has playing for the Clip Show (ha) ever worked out for anyone? ANYONE?
________________________________________________
It worked out for Loy Vaught, Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Mark Jackson and BILLY CRYSTAL.