When a player averages less than one point and three rebounds per game over the course of a season, while possessing the option to come back for another year with the same team at a salary of $9 million, it doesn’t take a degree in advanced economics to figure out what the chosen course of action will be.
Andris Biedrins finds himself in this exact situation, and he has confirmed through his agent that he will indeed be picking up that player option to return to the Warriors next season, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Golden State will be very close to luxury tax territory next season, in part thanks to player options like this one. Richard Jefferson has an $11 million player option, and Carl Landry and Brandon Rush each have $4 million ones of their own, although Landry is said to be on the fence about picking up his.
The Warriors have close to $75 million in salary committed for the 2013-14 season, and that’s without Jarrett Jack, who is an unrestricted free agent. It’s why the thought of Dwight Howard adding Golden State to his list of free agent destinations is laughable, at best.
The big question for the Warriors this offseason is what they want to do with Jack. He frustrated fans to no end at times with his ball-dominant style of play, but he was an important part of what the team did all season long, and Mark Jackson frequently played him in crunch time alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Things look up considerably for the Warriors the following season, when the contracts of Biedrins and Jefferson will be gone, as well as that of Andrew Bogut, who is on the books for $14 million for just one more season. In 2014-15, only David Lee and Stephen Curry are under contract, with very reasonable team options in place for young talent like Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Festus Ezeli.
