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Blazers, Batum Fail To Reach Contract Extension
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  1. DHawes22
    DHawes22
    Posts: 6475

    Posted 01/26/2012 2:22 PM



    Via Joe Freeman from The Oregonian-

    The clock ran out to get a deal done last night at 9 PM:
     After weeks of negotiations that included talks throughout the day Wednesday, the Blazers and Batum's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, could not find middle ground, guaranteeing that Batum will become a free agent after this season. And Ndiaye says Batum will explore every available opportunity on the market.

     "They say they love him but they didn't offer him something fair, so that's it," Ndiaye said. "We tried and there's no deal. On July 1 we're going to look at the market first before we come back to the Blazers. That's for sure."
    Acting GM Chad Buchanan weighs in:
    "In no way does any of this reflect on how we feel about Nic, it's just part of business," Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan said. "We love Nic and we've told him that. But a deal has got to be fair for both sides. They have every right to ask for what they feel is his fair value and we have to look at everything from our perspective. We have to get to a number that allows us to have payroll flexibility and be competitive, too."
    And not getting an extension should come as no surprise as many members of the 2008 Draft Class failed to reach agreements as well:
     Batum, who has long said his preference is to remain in Portland, said he understands the NBA is a "business" and was prepared to accept whatever happened with extension talks. It's more common than not for teams to fail to agree to early extensions with four-year players -- the past two seasons, only 10 players have done so, including five from the Batum's 2008 draft class: Chicago's Derrick Rose, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Minnesota's Kevin Love and Denver's Danilo Gallinari and Kosta Koufos.
    It appears Nic has had more on his mind that his contract lately:
     "I really don't care about my contract the last few days," Batum said. "I was more focused about my mom and sister's situation. I'm glad they're OK."

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  1. DHawes22
    DHawes22
    Posts: 6475

    Posted 01/26/2012 2:27 PM

    Blazersedge also had a transcript of Chad Buchanan's answers to the media's questions regarding Batum and not getting his contract extended.

    Here are a few of the key points:

    How did the last couple of days of talks progress? What developed and what didn't?

    "I don't want to get too specific. I will tell you that from our very first meeting to the last in-person meeting we had, which was yesterday, we obviously had a lot of dialogue. Very amicable negotiations. We have a lot of respect for [Batum's agent] Bouna [Ndiaye]. There's a lot of goodwill on both sides.

    "Even though we didn't come to an agreement on a deal, we had a lot of good discussion of Nic's long-term goals and things like that that give us a good indication of where things are going with him. What he wants moving forward. The fact that we didn't get a deal in no way reflects how we feel about Nic. It's part of the business right now that we didn't come to an agreement. Hopefully come next summer we'll find something that makes sense for both sides. Or, if we have an offer sheet, then we'll make a decision at that point."

    What is it that Batum communicated to you that he's looking for? Playing time, a specific role, or were you referring to the money?
    "It's a combination of everything. Typical of a young player, they want to feel a big part of the team and Nic has been a big part of our team and hopefully he is moving forward. They want to grow as a player and I think that's important, especially for a young player. Nic likes it in Portland. He's very comfortable with our organization and city. Trying to become the best player he can be is important to him and it's important to us too."
    Do you expect him to be a highly-coveted guy in free agency?
    "I think there will be some teams out there that like Nic. Any time you have a young player who is still developing, has played for a good team like we've had for the last few years, he's going to generate some interest. We're very well aware of that. I'm sure there will be several teams that have some interest in him next summer. We anticipate hopefully being able to negotiate with Bouna and, if there's an offer sheet, then we'll make a decision if we want to match or not."
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  1. DHawes22
    DHawes22
    Posts: 6475

    Posted 01/26/2012 2:36 PM

    For those fans out there upset or frustrated by the lack of an extension, my advice to you is to not worry. The only thing that came away from a failed contract extension agreement is now Nicolas Batum becomes a Restricted Free Agent at the end of the season. The Trail Blazers could pick right up where they left off with negotiations and make a deal right away or Batum and his agent could test the market, sign an offer sheet with another team and see if the Trail Blazers want to match or not. The only difference between this year and previous RFA's is the fact the home team, in this case Portland, has now just three days to decide if they want to match or not whereas it was a full week in the previous CBA.

    I've also heard some say not getting an extension could hinder Batum's confidence but I really don't think that will be an issue. He wants to be in Portland. We want him to stay in Portland. In my opinion, it's just about crossing the T's and dotting the I's. And judging from last night's performance in Oakland, it doesn't seem to be bothering Nico one bit.

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  1. jasonr14
    jasonr14
    Posts: 17

    Posted 01/26/2012 4:46 PM

    Does anybody know how much the blazers were offering and how much Batum wanted?
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  1. ClydeFrog
    ClydeFrog
    Posts: 975

    Posted 01/26/2012 7:24 PM

    The reports are that the Blazers offered 6 million a season but again that's all he say/she say. I really don't know how much Batum was looking for. All I can say though is if he's looking for Gallinari money (4 years, $42 million), then he won't be a Trail Blazer next year. There's absolutely no way Nic is a $10 million + player. Personally, I'd top him off at $8 mill per, and that's being really generous in my book.
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  1. Tobyus Sanchezo
    Tobyus Sanchezo
    Posts: 1599

    Posted 01/28/2012 2:37 AM

    Qyntel Woods got paid more then Nicolas Batum! C'MON MAN!!
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  1. Blazer247
    Blazer247
    Posts: 503

    Posted 01/29/2012 12:58 PM

    If Nic says he doesn't care about the money and just wants to play, and Blazers see hims as a piece of their future, I imagine we'll be able to offer him enough to keep him here. As long as Batum can control his agent and not the other way around...
    I am a fan of BLAZER BASKETBALL. Not drafts, not business, not trades, not David Stern. Just BLAZER BASKETBALL.
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