Antawn Jamison Inks New Deal with Wizards; Your Move, Gilbert

Antawn Jamison did his part to keep the current core of Washington Wizards players together for next season, signing a four year, $50 million deal with his current team. There is no huge surprise here (except for how freaking much they are giving the former Tarheel) and now we all wait with semi-baited breath to find out what Gilbert Arenas will do. And yes, I do include Jamison in "we".

"He said he'd take less money if he got me, and they got me," Jamison said. "So I think everything will get worked out with Gilbert."

[...]"There wasn't any doubt in my mind that I'd be back," said Jamison, 32, who has been a strong locker room leader during his four seasons with the Wizards.

[...]"Once he heard that I had reached a deal, he congratulated me," said Jamison, repeating a text message conversation he had with Arenas. "And I said 'I can't wait to congratulate you tomorrow."'

I get the impression from Jamison's response that if Agent Zero played games about signing on, then Antawn would probably throw a tremendous hissy, or at the very least, exert his influence on Gil, whatever that may be, to make sure the Wizards locked him up.

Jamison has now called Gil out to take less money right off the bat, and given Arenas' chip-on-the-block mentality, I'm not sure I am totally sold on him doing just that. If he's true to his word, then he'll ink for low money tomorrow after he opts out. But the bigger problem may be that the Wizards are paying Jamison $12+ million a year until he's 36.

The Wizards want Jamison and Jamison wants to be a Wizard, but this deal and the likely deal pending for Arenas just let us know that not much about the Wiz will be changing for the next few years, both good and bad.