Andrew Bogut fills a role on the Warriors — their defense is 6.1 points per 100 possessions better this season with him on the court than off it. He may not play in their closeout, small-ball “death lineup” when Draymond Green goes to the five spot, but he bangs with the big bodies of other teams through much of the game, plays smart and anticipatory defense, is a top-flight protector of the paint, and he keeps the ball moving on offense as a gifted passer.
Are the Warriors going to keep him at age 32 when his contract is up in 2017?
He hopes so. Bogut understands how lucky he is and knows he may not have a say in how the business end plays out, but he’d like to sign an extension to stick around with the Warriors a few more years, he gold Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
More convinced than ever he is in an ideal situation, and willing to back up the belief by passing up the possibility of millions of dollars in additional salary, Andrew Bogut is hoping to sign an extension with the Warriors this summer rather than wait another year to become a free agent….
“Yeah, I do,” he said of hoping to get a deal done this summer. “But we’ll see what happens. We all hear the rumors of other guys coming through here, so if that kind of stuff happens they’ll be some shedding of some contracts so who knows what can happen. But you’d be silly to try and leave what’s going on right now…. We’ll have a few of us that will have opportunities. Obviously I’m contracted for next year, but at the same time if he they offer me an extension I’ll definitely listen.”
Those rumors are that Kevin Durant could be coming to Golden State, and there is a little heat to them (although that is far, far from a sure thing). If the Warriors need to max out Durant then Bogut getting traded somewhere is very much on the table (Golden State will be looking to clear salary cap space). He certainly would not get an extension.
If that’s not happening, the Warriors may consider an extension, the same way the Nuggets did with Danilo Gallinari this past summer. They lock up a quality player at a fair price, which is both good if they need to keep him and good if they are looking for guys to put in a trade down the line.
It’s easy to understand why Bogut wants to stay — the former No. 1 overall pick already made more than $100 million in the league, now he’s in a spot where he’s having fun and is winning.
An extension something the Warriors might consider, and Bogut would likely jump at so long as he doesn’t get lowballed. But the Warriors will be hunting bigger game before they get to Bogut.
