UPDATE: Jamison signs for 4 years and 50 million

by Pradamaster on Jun 30, 2008 9:21 PM EDT in Free Agency

UPDATE, 9:21 p.m.: It's official. 4 years, 50 million, as Stein originally reported. That's a lot of dough.

Juicy, juicy blog post from Ivan Carter about the Antawn Jamison negotiations. The important part is that the final figure should be 4 years and 48 million, which is closer to Marc Stein's report than Mike Jones'.

I'm waiting to fully comment until the final figure becomes official, but my first thought is that while we're talking about a lot of dough, it looks like we had no choice. According to the post, Philadelphia was prepared to offer their entire 11-million dollars of cap room in order to sign Jamison to man the power forward position. Eleven million seems like a ton of money to offer a 32-year old power forward who plays the same position as two of your best young prospects (Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights), but I can see the Philly angle here. With the exception of Andre Miller, they're a young team, and Miller is entering the final year of his contract. They could use somebody who can score in the low post, and Jamison can do that despite his frame.

So basically, we were stuck. I never did an Antawn Jamison offseason primer (it was supposed to be written tonight), but the important point I was going to stress is that the threat of Jamison leaving is very real. Other than Arenas, he's probably the best of a mediocre free agent class, so any team with cap room was going to try to cash in. We're just lucky that nobody had more than 11 million dollars in cap room, because otherwise, someone probably would have bid more.

As it stands, 12 million a year is a lot to give to a 32-year old power forward, especially when you add the fourth year. I'd rather see Antawn get a three-year contract, to be honest, but it's not a complete disaster. It's a lot better than the alternative of losing him for nothing.

There's a ton more in that blog post that pertains more to Arenas, but I'm saving that for later tonight. For now, the important thing is that Antawn looks like he'll be back, albeit at a pretty steep price.

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Philadelphia

Why wouldn’t the 76ers pursue Emeka Okafor if they’re looking for a power forward? They plan to poach Josh Smith from Atlanta with their cap room, but they already have a young swingman in Andre Iguodala. If they made an outrageous offer to Okafor, and Charlotte refused to match, the 76ers would have a starting lineup of Andre Miller, Willie Green, Iguodala, Okafor, and Dalembert. They could do worse…

Iguodala, Okafor, and Dalembert sounds like a Haitian law firm.

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by Ben Q Rock on Jun 30, 2008 7:04 PM EDT 0 recs

Correct me if I'm wrong...

But theoretically they could renounce Iggy and then make a play for Josh Smith (and maybe someone else) right? I would take Smith over AI in a heartbeat.

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Jun 30, 2008 7:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

The Sixers could potentially have around $20 million in cap space, if they were willing to waive both Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams to reach that figure. If they decide to keep Iguodala and Williams, both restricted free agents, it looks as though the Sixers will have around $12.4 million in cap space.

From ESPN.

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Jun 30, 2008 7:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

Really?

Seems like A.I.2 is much more of a team player than Smith…..

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by Truth About It on Jun 30, 2008 10:28 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don't love the deal

But losing AJ for nothing would have been worse b/c there are no replacements on the market (or on our team). I’m hoping for 2 productive years and by the third or fourth year perhaps one of our young bigs will be ready to replace whatever minutes he can’t play effectively. If he can remain halfway relevant then he’ll be a solid trade chip in his final year…

I also have to agree with a post I think I read earlier on Wiz Insider – AJ doesn’t rely on his athleticism as much as some other players do. He is a crafty player and will probably still be decent offensively at 35/36. The problem is his D will totally be in the crapper by then and he’ll be better suited to 25 minutes off the bench, which at 12+ mil could handicap our flexibility to make necessary moves.

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Jun 30, 2008 7:05 PM EDT 0 recs

It's Official Now

AJ will be back at 4 years/50 mil according to Ivan.

by Hugh Miller on Jun 30, 2008 7:31 PM EDT 0 recs

Shall we...

Excerpts from Jamison:

“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.”

Arenas maintains that he intends to represent himself this summer as he seeks a new six-year contract in excess of $100 million.

“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.’”

Arenas plans to leave for a sponsor-related trip to China on Tuesday, but Jamison is confident his teammate will be back.

“Let me ask you: If somebody offered you, what is it, $100 million?” Jamison said. “I don’t care if you’re Gil or you’re so-and-so, would you take the deal?”

“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that I’d be back,” said Jamison, 32.

In December, Jamison also spoke fondly at the time of his role as Washington’s elder statesman, saying: “You know what? I’ve been in a lot of situations before. I’ve been the young fella, I’ve been the guy who’s trying to learn how to be a leader, I’ve been the guy coming off the bench as a sixth man. And now all of a sudden I’m the old head. It’s been 10 years and it’s gone by fast. But I’m really enjoying this.”

by Jheiser3 on Jun 30, 2008 8:05 PM EDT 0 recs

double standard?

"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."

if you are like me and are of the opinion that AJ milked the Wiz for about everything he could hope to get, that seems like a messed up thing to say.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 30, 2008 10:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

I see

I see a guy who earned 16M last year taking 12.5 this year.

by Jheiser3 on Jul 1, 2008 9:30 AM EDT up 0 recs

i cant believe

it was actually 50 mil!! this site thinks so anyway http://thesportcount.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/antawn-stays-put/

so cheap!! thats mental

by antawnfreak on Jun 30, 2008 8:29 PM EDT 0 recs

Yo

Link-dumping like that is not cool. Don’t do it again, please.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jun 30, 2008 9:22 PM EDT up 0 recs

u hadnt posted a link yet!

by antawnfreak on Jun 30, 2008 9:57 PM EDT up 0 recs

Well, yeah

But then post a link to an official report, not to what looks like your blog.

If it’s not your blog, I apologize, but I don’t want people gaining hits for their site like that. Become an active commenter before you start posting your own stuff.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jun 30, 2008 10:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

i googled it

change to si or espn if u want

by antawnfreak on Jun 30, 2008 10:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

Oh, ok

It’s no big deal. I shouldn’t have assumed it was your own site.

My sincere apologies, and I hope you stick around. I promise you we’re not that mean.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jun 30, 2008 10:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

Done deal

ESPN is reporting that Jamison actually signed… so it’s a done deal..!!

by Rook6980 on Jun 30, 2008 8:37 PM EDT 0 recs

So...this might change things. Or it might not.

Elton Brand and Baron Davis have just opted out of their contracts.

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by JakeTheSnake on Jun 30, 2008 10:09 PM EDT 0 recs

question

caron is WAY underpaid. with this contract on the books, how the hell are we gonna resign caron?

even if it’s workable, we’re gonna have ZERO money left for anyone other than the “big” 3.

also, if the sixers pretty much know EG is gonna resign AJ, isn’t it smart for them to up the offer price just to screw a conference rival’s cap space?

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 30, 2008 10:56 PM EDT 0 recs

Luckily, we have three more years

To worry about Caron. By then, most of our role players’ contracts will be expired.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jun 30, 2008 11:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

and then

we can replace all our role players with d-leaguers who will play for the minimum.

i don’t see how we can keep three all-stars around unless one of them has a very reasonable contract, and it sure as hell looks like AJ and GA aren’t going to have those kinds of contracts.

anyone want to humor me with details on caron’s deal? i imagine he can opt out at some point. (as it seems like everyone else can…)

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jun 30, 2008 11:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

He signed a five-year deal before the 05/06 season

After he was traded from the Lakers. He was a restricted free agent that offseason, and Ernie signed him just before the October 31 deadline for restricted free agents in the 2002 draft. The contract didn’t take effect until the start of the 2006/07 season because Butler was a base-year compensation player in 05/06.

He has three years left. It’s doable, but we need to find rookies who can play right away for very little money. That’s why I was dismayed so much by this past draft.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jul 1, 2008 12:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

what about BTH?

not sure how we’re going to afford him anymore…

better hope mcgee pans out.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jul 1, 2008 12:12 AM EDT up 0 recs

That's going to be interesting

My hope is that Ted takes over and lets us go over the tax a bit.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jul 1, 2008 11:50 AM EDT up 0 recs

even smarter

if an agent calls in or offers a favor to philly’s gm to throw money at his client.

then everyone wins, except the team signing the client…

i need an agent.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jul 1, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

This is a good day

I am happy that we got AJ back. I don’t think we coulda snagged Brand, plus Jamison has been a good leader for the team. I disagree with the post that he milked the Wiz for max cash. He did work for us over the past few years (you can count 20-10 guys on one hand), and really stepped up in some tough games. If you don’t reward that…..

by AndNone on Jun 30, 2008 11:16 PM EDT 0 recs

part of me agrees with you, but most of me doesn't at the moment

i think AJ is an all-time great bullet. however, does anyone think he’ll be worth $15 mill when he’s 36?

“It just came down to the fact that I felt comfortable here and Mr. Pollin expressed that he was going to re-sign me and we were able to negotiate a good deal,” Jamison said. “When you have both parties willing to compromise, you can get something done.”

i’m scratching my head trying to figure out exactly where AJ compromised on this deal. it seems to me that he was out to get as much as the market would get him and no less. that’s great, but now to hint at gil taking less to keep the team competitive?

AJ just ate up a HUGE chunk of our resources for the next 4 years. presently, while i like to see jamison get rewarded, this deal seems like a HUGE risk without a ton of upside and just a lot of perceived downside if he walks. (does anyone think 3 years and $30 million wouldn’t have been a reward???)

if we let gil and aj go, we have a core of:

daniels
stevenson/young
butler
blatche
haywood/mcgee

make a couple smart moves from there and i don’t think we’d be THAT far from where we are now, but without the next 4 years mortgaged to gil and aj.

i have a feeling a couple years from now we might be hoping for paul allen to bail us out of contract jail. that or for teddy L to pay a serious luxury tax.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Jul 1, 2008 12:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

He Comprimised on the First Year

i’m scratching my head trying to figure out exactly where AJ compromised on this deal. it seems to me that he was out to get as much as the market would get him and no less. that’s great, but now to hint at gil taking less to keep the team competitive?

I feel good about this deal, but this line makes me feel great:

Jamison said the negotiations went smoothly for the most part and while he wasn’t too detailed about the specifics of the deal, my sources tell me that it is structured so that his first year cap number is less than $10 million.

Jamison probably wanted to receive more in his first year. If I were the GM, I would have paid him $11.9 million his first year. Yeah, he won’t be worth $15 million per year when he’s 36 (he’ll be overpaid), but he isn’t worth less than $10 million per year now (he’ll be underpaid). Coincidentally, if I were the GM, I’d have paid him only $2 million less over the length of his contract than he’s going to get. So I believe this deal works out for us, and it leaves us with cap room this season to sign both Gil and a MLE free agent, assuming Gil allows his deal to be back-loaded too. That’s why this is great news.

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Jul 1, 2008 8:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

what's the point of stocking up on big men

if you go out and overpay for Jamison? Look at what Cleveland did to us. We were outrebounded by no-talents like Wallace, Verajao, and the semi talented Joe Smith. Now Pech, Blatche, Songaila, McGee, Thomas, and MacGuire are behind Mr. 4-50. That’s insane.

by billyjoe on Jul 1, 2008 2:37 AM EDT 0 recs

Wait

Don’t you mean Mr. 20-10?

The Wizards rebounding problems against the Cavaliers were not related to Jamison !!. He averaged over 10 rpg during the regular season and INCREASED that to 12 rpg against the Cavs in the Playoffs….

by Rook6980 on Jul 1, 2008 11:21 AM EDT up 0 recs

he still got outplayed by the bigger team

40% shooting percentage, 57% from the line.

by billyjoe on Jul 1, 2008 11:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

But that's just one team

It’s a good thing we play 28 others. Against those 28, Jamison was very, very good.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Jul 1, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up 0 recs

What?

Which PF on the Cavalier’s outplayed Jamison?

Was it Wallace? (3.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
or was it Joe Smith? (5.5ppg , 4.8 rpg)

or was it their COMBINED numbers that you think were better than Jamison;s?
(8.7ppg , 12.2 rpg)

by Rook6980 on Jul 1, 2008 6:57 PM EDT up 0 recs

Explain this

Davis signing for 5 yrs at 65 million while Jamison, 3 years OLDER, got 50 mil over 4 years. Is Davis a bargain or did we overpay for AJ?

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Jul 1, 2008 10:02 PM EDT 0 recs

Yeah but

Jamison has put up pretty steady numbers… and his game does not rely on quickness, athleticism, or speed. He should be able to continue to put up numbers through at least the next 3 years.

Davis on the other hand, has been injury prone… has lost a step, and was never very athletic. Being a PG, quickness is THE one thing he really needs. Unfortunately for him, age and injuries have taken a toll… You’ll notice that the Clippers only offered a 4-year deal…

by Rook6980 on Jul 1, 2008 10:40 PM EDT up 0 recs