About a year ago, I gave my opinion that no matter how business-savvy Gilbert Arenas may be, he was making a mistake by engaging in self-representation. Now Nate Jones of Jones On The NBA agrees that Arenas should hire an agent.
Gilbert’s second injury and the evolution of the games of Brendan Haywood and Caron “Tough Juice” Butler has enabled Washington to play around the same level as they were playing with a healthy Gilbert last year (and keep in mind they would probably have an even better record if Caron didn’t miss over a month with his own injury problems). Washington now has the negotiating power. Gilbert has gone through two knee surgeries and his team has learned to play with out him. As well, teams around the league don’t have cap space to compete with Washington and create a bidding war for Gilbert’s services. The only team with cap space that would kind of be an appealing destination for Gilbert is Philadelphia. So if Washington tries to play hardball with Gilbert, and Gilbert doesn’t want to go play in Philadelphia (or Memphis…I don’t see them as an option, that’s why they are locked in this here parenthetical), Gilbert is going to have to seek on a sign and trade with another team. For someone that doesn’t really have negotiating experience, trying to negotiate a sign and trade or even negotiate with a team that thinks they hold all the cards can be a difficult task.
Thoughts?
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