Many think Zero's a jackass, but I've always liked the guy. Assuming this report is true, I like him even more.
Quote:
WASHINGTON - Gilbert Arenas is accepting less money from the Washington Wizards, invoking an attitude far, far removed from the world of his working-class fans.
“What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can’t do with $111 million?” he told The Washington Post.
The unpredictable three-time All-Star point guard, in vintage Agent Zero fashion, told the Post and the Washington Times on Thursday that he has agreed to re-sign for $111 million over six years, considerably less than the maximum deal he said the Wizards offered him when the free agency period began on Tuesday.
Arenas negotiated the deal from China, where he is traveling as part of promotional tour for a shoe company, and did so without an agent.
“I’m basically giving back $16 million,” Arenas told the Washington Times. “This is in line with what I’ve been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don’t wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can’t do anything about it.”
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Though I'm skeptical of his knee and very surprised the Wiz offered him a six year deal, I like what he's doing. The extra $16M would have probably gone to his agent if he had one. Instead, the money offers the team more flexibility to improve.
I'd like to see more players dump their agents...who, like attorneys, I consider to be mostly parasites that screw their own clients for big bucks while contributing little added value.
Arenas reportedly staying with Wizards - NBA - MSNBC.com