Baron Davis wants out, opted-out and now it’s time for the Warriors to ship him out.
Even before the stunning news broke, I thought it was time to trade the Warriors’ best and most unpredictable player.
Even before word spread that Davis had elected to become an unrestricted free agent by opting out of the final year and $17.8 million of his contract, I figured that this was a relationship souring quickly and due to expire soon.
Davis was never going to forgive the Warriors for declining to meet his mega-demands for an extension this summer. The Warriors probably were never going to see as much quality play from him than they did in the previous three seasons.
Time for the Warriors to dig in and turn the team over to Monta Ellis. Time for Davis to move on.
Then the headline hit – Davis quietly sent in the paperwork Monday afternoon and the league added his name to the public list of new free agents at 7 p.m.
Ka-Blaam!
The Warriors stayed silent Monday evening, which probably tells us enough about their surprise as any words possibly could.
My first reaction was absolute, unmitigated shock that any 29-year-old injury-prone player would walk away from so much money with (presumably) nothing guaranteed beyond today.
My second reaction: Davis’ lightning strike is the perfect way to end his Warriors’ tenure.
It proves how confident he is in his ability (risking $17.8 million that somebody will pay him more) and how daring he always has been. I give him credit for that and I also wonder if he realizes that the market might not be as ravenous as he expects.
Plus it gives the Warriors the initiative to sign-and-trade him for a happier player: If he wants out, get him out, and I do believe he wants out.
The worst kept secret around the league was that Todd Ramasar, Davis’ agent, has unofficially checked out Davis trade possibilities, which is not quite adhering to NBA rules but is done by every agent of every major unhappy player.
Generally, that’s how big deals get done.
The telling point: Chris Mullin knew that Ramasar was checking around and I don’t think Mullin had a problem with it at all.
So, even before the opt-out blind-side, the Warriors were quietly open to seeing what they could get for Davis. Now, I’ve got to figure they’re completely accepting that Life After Baron might’ve started Monday night.
Let’s quickly go over the possibilities here…
• There’s a tiny chance that Davis has an under-the-table deal with a team below the salary cap or soon able to get under and that he will walk away from the Warriors for nothing.
If that is at all true, the Los Angeles Clippers are the only realistic team for that scenario – Baron is an L.A. native and the Clippers have tons of salary flexibility.
Elton Brand also opted-out Monday and, if they renounce free agent Corey Maggette, the Clips could re-sign Brand for a decent contract or trade him for lesser money, then have room to sign Davis outright to a long-term contract worth $60 million or more.
That’s a hard one to envision given the Clippers’ thrifty ways, of course. But if Brand immediately agrees to a cut-rate deal (say, for $12 million a year instead of $18 million per), then watch out.
• Davis and Ramasar could be maneuvering to get the Warriors to up their bid by forcing them to face the possibility of losing him for nothing.
Remember, the Warriors can still pay Davis the most, unless they renounce his rights, which is doubtful.
For the same reasons, the Warriors can’t get under the cap themselves unless they renounce Davis, who counts for $24.7 million on the cap until he signs elsewhere, signs with the Warriors or is renounced.
If the Warriors jump into immediate talks with Davis today, this is a live option.
• The most likely scenario is the sign-and-trade: Davis and Ramasar find an interested, over-the-cap team, but only can do the deal with any over-the-cap team if the Warriors are involved.
Now, the Warriors would have some aching needs if they lose Davis, not the least being point guard. They could ask Detroit about Chauncey Billups, inquire with Memphis about half of its roster, including Javaris Crittenton.
If they want to address other positions, they could see if Miami is interested in trading Shawn Marion. They could try to pry loose Lamar Odom from the Lakers or Carmelo Anthony from Denver. They could examine the rolls of attractive restricted free agents.
Hey, they could get in touch with the Clippers and Brand’s agent and see if a Davis-for-Brand double-sign-and-trade deal is workable, though I suspect Brand would not be interested in the Baron-less Warriors.
But now we know for sure: Davis wants out, his agent has been trying to maneuver him out for weeks and it’s now the perfect moment for the Warriors to take advantage of the opening and clear him out.
