On Tuesday, Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut said that he think that Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights will be offered big contracts this summer, hopefully with the Warriors. Bogut wants to stay with Golden State as well, and hopes to sign a contract extension this summer, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:
More convinced than ever he is in an ideal situation, and willing to back up the belief by passing up the possibility of millions of dollars in additional salary, Andrew Bogut is hoping to sign an extension with the Warriors this summer rather than wait another year to become a free agent.
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“Yeah, I do,” he said of hoping to get a deal done this summer. “But we’ll see what happens. We all hear the rumors of other guys coming through here, so if that kind of stuff happens they’ll be some shedding of some contracts so who knows what can happen. But you’d be silly to try and leave what’s going on right now…. We’ll have a few of us that will have opportunities. Obviously I’m contracted for next year, but at the same time if he they offer me an extension I’ll definitely listen.
“Nothing’s a given in this league. It’s a physical league. Either way. I can do a deal now or wait an extra year and get more, it’s not going to really change me financially too much. I’ve been pretty smart with my money. I can retire today and still not have to work another day in my life. It’s not going to be a point where I’m going to be, ‘Who’s going to give me the most money.’ It’ll be the lifestyle, it’ll be what’s the team like, is the team any good. And the writing on the wall here is to try to stick around as long as they want me.”
And the desire to sign this summer instead that would mean bypassing free agency?
“Yeah, but I’m not a greedy guy and I’m not stupid either,” Bogut said. “I know I can get undercut by Amar’e Stoudemire and fall and break my other elbow. In my position, with the physicality that we take, I’d definitely listen to offers.”
Bogut sounds pretty relaxed and open-minded about the whole process, which is a good approach to take. I love players with attitudes like his. He just likes where he’s at and wants to stay. He isn’t stressing about the money.
