Andray Blatche Decides To Test Free Agency

Posted by Unknown on Thursday, May 15, 2014 with No comments
By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 15th, 2014

One day after the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated their off-season started, and it started with Andray Blatche announcing that as expected he will be opting out of his contract, as he declined his 1.4 million dollar player option for next season.
Blatche said coming back to the Nets is his “Number 1 Priority” when asked if he wants to come back.
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“Yeah, definitely. I feel like we have a strong team here,” he said. “We have a good core. Everybody gets along, Everybody holds one another accountable. I can still learn from some of the players here. But at the same time it’s a business. So if I’m not here I appreciate everything this organization has done for me.”

“I’m going to see what’s out there for me,” Blatche said Thursday. “I would love to stay here. They gave me my first opportunity. So if things work out, hopefully I’ll be back here. If not, I just want to thank the fans and the whole organization for giving me that second chance.”

Andray Blatche made it clear that he would like to be back, and after coming off a nice season the Nets would certainly like him back as well. The Nets do have Blatche's early bird rights, which means the most that they can offer him is a four-year 25 million dollar deal. His former team the Washington Wizards are on the hook for 8.4 million dollars next season, so Blatche will be making a nice paycheck regardless next season.

In the 2013-2014 season Blatche had very good numbers, as in 73 games he averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and shot a very good 47% from the field. Blatche will certainly have suitors, and Nets General Manager Billy King will be a bust man with five other pending free agents in Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston, Andrei Kirilenko, Alan Anderson, and Jason Collins.