NBA Oakland

So the face of your franchise and your most beloved player, Baron Davis, skipped town. And your top replacement target, Gilbert Arenas, re-signed with his club. And the next big target on your radar just spurned you and hopped over to the East for more money. So who do you turn to, after inking an aging small forward for a bit of cash while you try and convince Monta Ellis to stick around?

You sign Ronny Turiaf, of course!

The Warriors have come to a verbal agreement with Lakers restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf on a four year deal worth an estimated $17 million. As he is a restricted free agent, the Lakers have seven days to match the Warriors offer.

It's an interesting signing, because if the Warriors are able to pry him away from the purple and gold, he provides a number of things they lack. Along with Corey Maggette, Turiaf represents a greater commitment to defense. In addition, Turiaf can actually rebound, which the Warriors failed miserably at last season. He does make sense with their system though, as he's a high energy guy who can come in and play a few minutes or more, and is extremely flexible and provides a spark. He's also a fan favorite that would fit in with the Warriors scrappy image. That is if the fans haven't all thrown themselves off a bridge after Baron left.

After being left at the alter by both Baron Davis and Elton Brand, the Warriors finally found someone willing to take their money: Corey Maggette. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Maggette agreed to a five-year, $50 million deal immediately after the Warriors learned that Brand had committed to the 76ers. Interestingly enough, he apparently jumped on the offer before giving the Clippers, who were also spurned by Brand, a chance to retain him.

Until this opening with Golden State, it looked like Maggette's best options involved taking the mid-level exception from one of the handful of interested contenders pursuing him, including the Spurs, Celtics, Pistons and Magic. He'll make a lot more money with the Warriors, but he'll also win a lot fewer games -- instead of battling for a title, he'll be in a fight to simply make the playoffs.

That said, it's not fair to say this simply came down to money, as the Warriors were also able to offer a lot more playing time than anyone else. With those other contenders, Maggette would have been a fourth or fifth option in the starting lineup -- if not relegated to the role of a super sub. But with the Warriors, Maggette has a chance to be "The Man," especially with Monta Ellis almost certainly taking on more of a distributor role in Davis' absence.

Not everyone thinks Maggette is up for being a team's No. 1 option, but it's hard to argue with his production or the fact that he's a perfect fit for Nellieball. He's uber-athletic and can shoot from long-distance, and while his defense is underrated, he won't be asked to play much under Don Nelson anyway. The Warriors still need a legitimate big man, but the Warriors could have done a lot worse than snagging Maggette.

For much of the last week, most basketball fans assumed that Elton Brand was either going to a) re-sign with the Clippers; or b) grab the pile of money that Baron Davis left behind with the Warriors. Instead, he surprised everyone by choosing c) none of the above, leaving behind the Western Conference entirely in favor of the 76ers. From the Los Angeles Times:

Elton Brand has reached a verbal agreement to sign a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to an NBA source who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on player movements.

The deal is believed to be in the $80-million range and expected to span five years.

Okay, this wasn't a complete surprise -- there were rumblings last night that this might be a possibility, and Philly's salary dump of a trade earlier today was obviously setting up a larger move -- but it has to feel like a kick in the ribs to Clippers fans dreaming of Brand and B.Dizzle leading the Clips back to the playoffs.

Until the last 48 hours or so, the Sixers were believed to be focusing most of their interest on Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith, but the addition of Brand, who's much more polished offensively, and the expected return of Andre Iguodala, who's a restricted free agent himself, makes the 76ers instant contenders in the East with an intriguing core of youth and experience. This is a team that gave the Pistons fits in the first round this past year even without a legitimate low-post scoring threat. If Brand regains his All-Star form and Philly's youngsters continue to develop, there's no telling what kind of damage they can do in 2007-08.

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has been wearing out his keyboard this free agent season already, and today he comes with another piece peering into the decision-making of Chris Mullin and the Golden State Warriors.

[E]ven if the Warriors played this strategically and not frugally, even if they purposely wanted to get to this point of vast promise and uncertainty ... they've placed themselves in a terribly vulnerable position, no matter what. Things could work out. They could land Elton Brand or trade into a big-time player or wait it out and land somebody incredible in a summer or two. [...]

But a lot of this isn't in their control. Almost all of it. In the NBA, you want to have some sort of control with your own players–either you keep them or you trade them for more talent–and that has not and will not be happening with the Warriors this summer, unless all breaks perfectly for them.

Last summer, we made a big deal of Golden State's plans to get to a basically clean slate (salary-wise) this summer. Mullin set things up to be full of options -- do you pay both Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins? Do you move Baron Davis or extend him? Do you give it another shot to this nucleus or turn young?

But no one seemed to see this coming, the scenario in which Mullin's power (power of the dollar) gets jacked by a bold Baron decision and a wacky flux of free agent maneuvering by the Clippers and 76ers. It isn't to say Golden State is doomed -- Ellis, Biedrins and cap space are still chillin' in the cut, so to speak. But the Mighty Sword of Options has been parried, and there looks to be a real chance of the Warriors getting leftovers.

Elton Brand has a generous offer on the table to stay with the Clippers, and an even larger offer on the table to bolt for the Warriors. But while most of the discussion surrounding his options has centered on those two teams, it's at least possible that he might bolt California completely and head back east.

That's crazy talk, right? Probably, but according to ESPN's Marc Stein, the 76ers have officially thrown their hat in the ring. It's true the Sixers have been connected to restricted free agent Josh Smith since the offseason began, but the team wants to do it's due diligence by gauging Brand's interest before tying up their finances by signing Smith to an offer sheet and waiting seven days while the Hawks decide if they're going to match it or not.

I can't say I'm completely surprised -- Smith has all the potential in the world, but Brand is a proven product and (when healthy) one of the most consistent big men in the game today. Smith would make the Sixers a joy to watch; Brand would get the Sixers out of the first round.

Chris Mullin is not likely to come out of this offseason looking, shall we say, golden. First, he drafted a[nother] lanky power forward who will need some time to develop. Then, he allowed Baron Davis to mosey down the state to Los Angeles by refusing to negotiate an extension with the fan-fave.

Now, the Warriors appear to be grasping at straws by throwing around as much money as they can at Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand, to whom they apparently offered a monster deal to on Wednesday.

Flush with cap space after Davis' sudden exit, the Warriors have offered free agent Elton Brand a five-year deal worth between $85 and $90 million, according to league sources.

Brand, like Davis, opted out of the final year of his contract just before Monday's deadline, giving up a guaranteed $16.4 million for next season. At the time, Brand's agent, David Falk, told reporters that the move was designed to create some cap flexibility for the Clippers to add another top-line player.

They offered Gil the max he was allowed and have apparently ponied up a similar chunk of change to try and lure Brand to Oakland.

As I wrote last night, the worst part of losing Baron Davis for Golden State is getting nothing in return. Even if you don't want to pay Boom, he's clearly a coveted asset who could fetch a return of some sort on the trade market -- draft picks, a replacement guard, a young prospect, or a contributing veteran.

But that's not Golden State's style, as Jason Gurney of BallHype shows us. Over the past decade, the Warriors have received very little in return for their best performers. The top prize: Brandan Wright in exchange for Jason Richardson. Antawn Jamison yielding Nick Van Exel seems rather painful, in retrospect.

The Warriors can't even bank on getting decent cap space out of Baron's departure, as extensions for Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins will likely place the franchise perilously close to the projected $57 million cap level. The Warriors would have to split less than roughly $19 million next season between the pair of restricted FAs to be able to spend a few dollars more than the team's $5.5 million mid-level ... and this doesn't account for a third restricted FA, Kelenna Azubuike.

It's pretty hard to blame Chris Mullin for the outright loss of Baron -- what, was he supposed to trade him last summer? -- but again, playing hardball with your free agents (potential or otherwise) has its pitfalls.

When Baron Davis opted out of his $17.8 million contract, plenty of pundits ripped him. One opinion piece which stood out was a column headlined "Davis 29, going on 39, with maturity of 3-year-old" by Bob Padecky of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Padecky writes:

Davis is a 29-year-old man with a 39-year-old body and a 3-year old's conception of commitment. One minute he says he wants to stay with the Warriors. The next minute he wants to leave them. Stay. Go. Stay. Go. He is a toddler who can't make up his mind.

Davis had two options: $17.8 million right now, or $13 million right now and another $52 million over the subsequent four years. The latter opportunity only came available once Elton Brand made his decision late Monday. When presented with the secure, more lucrative opportunity, Davis took it. That involved opting out of a contract he had indicated he would not opt out of. He did, however, still hold the rights to opt out of said contract.

On what planet is that not a mature, rational decision?

The irrational, immature, short-sighted option would have been to hold steady with the Warriors because of some perceived obligation to a corporation who offered a much smaller contract than the market would bear. Why exactly should Davis have felt obligated to accepted a smaller deal, like the $10 million/year with incentives for health Padecky offers up? Why should Davis give up $47 million in guaranteed monies to fulfill Warriors fans visions of 2008-09 when the Warriors won't belly up to the table?

That the guy is making tens of millions of dollars is no reason to insist he conform to some socialist perspective of corporate loyalty. The NBA's a business, and Davis made a smart business decision. (Whether the Clippers did the same can be debated.) It's simply ridiculous to hold athletes to puritanical financial ideals we'd never live to up to ourselves.

And just like that, not only is Baron Davis no longer contractually obligated to those Golden State Warriors, but he's a freaking Los Angeles Clipper. ESPN and L.A.'s CBS affiliate have both reported Davis has reached a preliminary agreement with the Clippers, and expects to sign a five-year, $65 million contract next week.

Is this a more shocking turn of events for the Warriors, or the Clippers? L.A. faced the risk of starting Brevin Knight and/or Paul Davis this fall had Elton Brand fled for greener meadows and had the decent point guard options (Sacramento's Beno Udrih, for one) gotten sopped up. Instead, the team looks like a contender for the eighth playoff slot in the West at least, which ...

... knocks those Warriors down a peg. Losing Davis hurts, but it seems the Golden State faithful had prepared for his eventual exile. But losing him this summer on his terms to a division rival without getting an asset in return ... that's not the plan, I'm guessing. Now, it's Monta Ellis at the point, unless Chris Duhon's your man.

Chris Mullin was a champion last summer in his hardball negotiations. This time? Not so much. Davis just did this to the Warriors.

Gilbert Arenas is quite arguably the top free agent option heading into the 2008-09 season. It has been assumed that once Antawn Jamison inked a new deal -- and Gil said as much himself -- that Arenas would sign on as well.

But things got a little more complicated Monday night/Tuesday morning as Baron Davis opted out, and the Warriors, in response, allegedly offered Agent Zero a max deal.

Then, according to my sources, the Warriors quickly burned the phones and offered former Warrior Gilbert Arenas a maximum-level contract, one that would pay him more than $100 million over five years. My source told me that Gilbert received a flurry of phone calls from the Warriors in the first 30 minutes of free agency.

After Gilbert drove to the Verizon Center for a late night workout and a meeting with Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards came strong with an offer of a maximum contract that covers six years for over $124 million (Not sure whether they knew about the Golden State offer or not. I hear they didn't. Ernie came strong but also laid it out for Gilbert that if he asked for the maximum, the team would be in a tough spot.)

As Ivan at the WaPo noted, Arenas is more inclined, according to sources, to take the Wizards deal. He has also, however, been approached by Sacramento with a "whatever it takes" credo.

Odds are good that he ends up returning to Washington, especially if the money is similar. On the other hand though, there are few spots in the NBA that would fully utilize his talents (some passing, mostly free reign to jack threes) more than Golden State. Actually, check that: the Warriors would be the perfect place to utilize Gil's talents. So, yes, there's some mulling going on here.