Arenas Opts Out

As expected, Agent Zero is opting out of the final year of his six year, $65 million deal. He's hoping to get a big raise, but it's hard for me to see how he gets it. There are only a couple of teams with the cap space to give him big money, and I don't envision either of them doing it. Wizards management says they'd like to resign him. I'd like to see him resigned, too, but I hope they drive a hard bargain with him. Arenas is a player worth having on your team, but not a player worth paying any price for -- if someone else offers him a giant contract, let him walk.

Comments

I think it's clear Gilbert has set his sights higher than the NBA.

Posted by scythia | June 10, 2008 5:46 PM

I know the sport of poking fun of Matt's grammatical and spelling errors is pretty old at this point but I was genuinely confused for a minute. Was Matt inventing a bizarre usage of the word "resign," used transitively as a euphemism for "fire". You're resigned!

Ahh. No. The word he was looking for was re-sign. Quite a difference that little hyphen makes.

Posted by Rob Mac | June 10, 2008 5:51 PM

He's hoping to get a big raise, but it's hard for me to see how he gets it.

Depends how you define "big". He'll get a raise, for sure.

Posted by right | June 10, 2008 6:10 PM

Here is some hard info on the matter (courtesy of HoopsHype: http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm)

Arenas was set to make $12,800,000 in 2008-09.

Zach Randolph is currently the 30th highest paid player in the NBA, and he makes $13,488,377.

I suspect that somebody will be willing to given Arenas *some* amount of a raise.

Posted by Pistons fan | June 10, 2008 6:17 PM

I think Pistons fan meant that comment to be a rhetorical flourish more than a jumping-off point for analysis, but it's worth asking... is Gil Arenas one of the 30 most valuable players in the NBA? I'm not sure I'd say he definitely isn't, but I wouldn't be surprised if 30 other guys have a case for being better than Agent Zero.

I always see little blurbs about Arenas and his mad skillz, and they would all be complete if somebody would just append six little words: too bad he can't guard anyone.

APS

Posted by Ape Man | June 10, 2008 7:33 PM

I'd like to discuss your mister Arenas and our mister Artest.

Give me a call.

Best regards,

Mr. Petrie

Posted by trollhattan | June 10, 2008 7:40 PM

Artest is picking up his player option, so I don't think he's available. He certainly won't be traded for Arenas since Arenas is not under contract.

APS

Posted by Ape Man | June 10, 2008 7:48 PM

is Gil Arenas one of the 30 most valuable players in the NBA?

Yes, without a doubt.

too bad he can't guard anyone.

Neither can Steve Nash.

Posted by right | June 10, 2008 8:14 PM

right: Suns should fire every player under 30 on their roster, to make salary cap room, then sign Hibachi. Then he and Nash can guard each other at practice.

Posted by ty | June 10, 2008 8:39 PM

I hope he leaves.

Posted by eriks | June 10, 2008 9:38 PM

Arenas is a crappy player who would only have real value as the 6th man on a good team IF he could accept that sort of role. Since he can't, he's a coach-killer and the sort of vampire who sucks the life out of a team. I'm not sure why anyone, anywhere, roots for this sort of idiot. It seems to be restricted to fans in cities where no team has been good for a very, very long time.

I'm glad I live in Massachusetts, where keeping track of our good teams is almost a full-time job these days...

Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | June 11, 2008 3:12 AM

Arenas might not be bucking for a raise so much as a big long contract. He's said on his blog that opting out as opposed to extending is a no-brainer--if he opts out he can sign for six years, if he extends he can only add two years to his deal.

If I'm Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, I lay a 6 year contract starting at $13M and totaling $100M on the table. There's no team out there who is a good fit and has salary cap money. Everyone either A) has a point guard B) doesn't have $18M in cap room or C) is god-awful, so that Arenas would be on a worse team than Washington. Most NBA teams can check two of those boxes.

Arenas would like maximum salary money, starting at about $17-18M, but then again my 2-year old daughter would like a pony. Arenas is probably a little more realistic about the chances of getting either one.

Posted by john bragg | June 11, 2008 8:09 AM

MoeLarryAndJesus: you're an idiot. 29ppg is not 6th man material. The man obviously has liabilities, but this whole conversation wouldn't be happening if he hadn't been injured.

Posted by trouc | June 11, 2008 10:44 AM