When the Golden State Warriors acquired center Andrew Bogut several years ago in exchange for shooting guard Monta Ellis, it signaled a new beginning for the franchise. They were hoping to toughen up and be taken seriously as a contender. They have, and they are. With one year left on his deal, Bogut is interested in staying as a member of the Warriors.
The 31-year old native of Australia has been one of the driving forces behind a top notch defense, and his play on both ends seems like it warrants an extension. However, even Bogut realizes that the Warriors might be interested in other free agents out there which means his time could be coming to an end.
From Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:
“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.”
There’s obviously no word yet on what the Warriors plan to do with Bogut or anyone else, but he’ll definitely be interested in an extension if one is offered. That, at the very least, has to entice the front office to keep him around. After all, he has been a pivotal part of the franchise’s turnaround. It might be time to reward him.