Trans. Mar 26 7:50 ET (Mar 26 7:50 ET ) Metta World Peace has an Early-Termination Option for 2013-14, the potential final year of his contract. This essentially means he has a player option for over $7.7 million, money that he’d have no chance of approximating should he decide to opt out of the deal and try his hand at free agency. So why is he considering opting out?
He’s considering it, because this is a move we’ve seen before, and for many players it makes quite a bit of sense. Players opt out of a lucrative final year of a contract in order to initiate talks for a contract extension that would pay less money in the (first) year an athlete opted out of, but more money than they would probably make as a free agent following your would-be opt-in year. Most of these maneuvers are initiated after a technically illegal wink-wink/nudge-nudge understanding is agreed upon between the team and player.
For instance, most thought forward Richard Jefferson a right nutter for opting out of the $15.2 he was owed for the 2010-11 season nearly three years ago. Jefferson immediately signed a four-year $38.9 million deal a few weeks later with the same San Antonio Spurs team he declined his termination option with. Had Jefferson held on to his $15.2 million for 2010-11, he would have been lucky to make half of the league’s average salary as a free agent in December of 2011, and probably would have had a hard time making an NBA roster last summer. As it stands, he’ll make over $11 million next season due to his savvy decision .
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Metta World Peace might take such a risk this summer. Metta is due to make over $7.7 million next season in the final year of his contract, and if his discussion with NBA.com reporter Scott Howard-Cooper from Monday night is to be believed, it’s possible the veteran forward could attempt the same maneuver. At whatever cost. From the report :
Shane Battier is making the rounds again, in early spring, as is his custom. He’s been at this gig for more than a dozen years now, turning the most convicted of Duke dislikers into grudging admirers, the most frustrated of Memphis Grizzlies fans (“we could have gotten Richard Jefferson!”) into believers, and convincing a message board’s worth of frustrated Rockets fans (“seriously, Rudy Gay for this guy ?”) into understanding that a Battier a day keeps the bad spacing away. He’s five years removed from acting as the most consistent member of a team that won 22 consecutive games, he’s four years removed from the fawning and accurate ‘ No-Stats All-Star ’ tribute, and he made the most important play on Monday night for a team that has now won 23 games in a row.
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Yes, LeBron James took and made a nice and low-percentage 21-footer that rattled in , giving the Miami Heat the lead over the Boston Celtics. Shane Battier sustained that lead, though, twice blocking a player in Jeff Green that had already dropped 43 points on Miami. Watch:
Following that move, after the referees (even given the benefit of replay) failed to reverse the initial call that ruled the ball off of Battier, Paul Pierce missed a corner three-pointer and Miami secured the ball. Following an intentional foul, Battier was charged with the task of making the in-bounds pass with just over a second to go in the contest, and he responded with this jerk cool move:
Jefferson pulled himself out of Golden State's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night after straining his right calf.
The Scoop:The Warriors say he's not expected to return to the game. Jefferson fouled the Thunder's Eric Maynor after a made basket by Draymond Green with 25 seconds left in the first quarter, wincing as he walked over to the bench to get medical attention.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Warriors reserve Richard Jefferson pulled himself out of Golden State's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night after straining his right calf.
David Lee had 17 points and nine rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors got a big lift from their bench to put a dent in Denver's playoff hopes with a 112-97 victory over the Nuggets on Saturday night. Reserves Brandon Rush added 20 points, Nate Robinson had 14 points and seven assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 10 points to help the Warriors to a rare blowout victory at home.
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