Zaza Pachulia was going to be an all-star last year in Dallas. Although half of the votes were thanks to fan voting that helped him get on the Ballot, Pachulia did play an important part in the Mavericks playoff run last year. After losing out on DeAndre Jordan in free agency, Zaza came into Dallas and averaged 8.9 points and 9.8 rebounds a game for the Mavericks.
With the salary cap going up, you would expect a guy who had a year like Zaza to get a significant pay raise, but Pachulia opted to sign a 1-year, $2.9 million deal with the Golden State Warriors, who also signed MVP Kevin Durant. Now with the Warriors favorites to win, NBA fans everywhere we’re wondering why Zaza Pachulia sold himself short to join the All-star cast? Pachulia explained to Anthony Slater of the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
“Ok, so, you know, you have these two glasses right here. But I like this one better,” he says. “I want this one. But let me wait a second. Let me think. Let me still analyze. Let me go through the details again.”
The favored glass has four All-Stars. Two sure-fire Hall of Famers. A roster loaded with talent. And, hey, also a massive hole at center, the spot you just happen to play. It’s desperate for you. But it can only pay $2.9 million for one year of service.
The other glass will more than double the money and triple those years. And guess what, it’s a drinker’s market! On the other table, two more glasses are upping the ante. You may not like what’s in them, but you like what they’re offering.
“Of course money is important,” Zaza says. “Very important. Important to everybody. If I said it wasn’t, I’d be lying. Especially because it’s not like I’ve made hundreds of millions of dollars in my career.”
“A pretty significant amount,” Pachulia said when asked the exact dollar amount he left on the table. “Don’t want to get into the details. But a pretty significant amount. I’ll be a free agent next year, so we’ll see again. But first of all, I’m not thinking about next year. I’m all in on this year. That’s the reason why I sacrificed financially. It’s not because of next summer. It’s because of this season.”
Pachulia has a lot that is dependent on next year. But in a way, so does this whole Golden State team. A lot weighs on this team to perform well, right out the gate, start October, but that may not be the case. Having a veteran Center like Zaza will help the cause, though.
