Warrior Davis won't opt out, source says

By BEE NEWS SERVICES

last updated: June 25, 2008 05:23:37 AM

OAKLAND -- As the hours tick down to a draft that will start the ball rolling on the Golden State Warriors' potentially franchise-changing offseason, they can be sure of one thing: Star point guard Baron Davis will remain under contract for 2008-09.

But that doesn't guarantee he'll be wearing a Golden State uniform when the season begins.

A team source said Davis has told teammates he will not exercise the opt-out provision in his contract before its June 30 expiration date, meaning he will play out the final year of the deal at a salary of $17.8 million.

Todd Ramasar, Davis' agent, would only say Tuesday that "it's not likely" his client will opt out, but the source said Davis was "realistic" about the difficulty in recouping that guaranteed money in a free-agent market that is not especially flush with cash.

The threat of an opt out was one of the few pieces of leverage Davis had in talks with the Warriors regarding a contract extension, but it did not spur the team into action. The sides were far apart in terms of numbers when they sat down last month, and although the dialogue has continued, it appears the two sides remain similarly disconnected at this point.

Given that stalemate, it's possible that Davis will ask to be dealt. And the team source said the Detroit Pistons, rebuffed initially in their attempts to pry forward Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets, are now looking at Davis as a potential target.

TIP-INS -- Anthony pleaded guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of driving while ability-impaired. With trade rumors swirling around the beleaguered Anthony in recent weeks, coach George Karl and Mark Warkentien, the team's vice president of basketball operations, were in the courtroom to offer their support. Anthony was sentenced to a year probation, 24 hours of community service, and more than $1,000 in fees and court costs while prosecutors dropped a more serious DUI charge. ... Former NBA star Dennis Rodman pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery Tuesday and was ordered to undergo counseling and to perform highway or other physical labor.

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