It's still early in the season, but for players on expiring contracts, next July is always just around the corner. Andray Blatche, who has a one-year minimum-salary deal with the Nets, hopes next summer's decision will be easy. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Blatche would like to re-sign with Brooklyn, though he acknowledged it's too soon to commit to anything.
"Talk to me after the playoffs," Blatche said of his free agency. "I mean, after we win the championship."
Because Blatche is still being paid by the Wizards, who amnestied him in July with three years remaining on his deal, his earnings on his next contract will be somewhat reduced. Still, while Washington will take back a portion of the salary in his next deal, Blatche still has the ability to double dip, as cap guru Larry Coon explains in his CBA FAQ.
After struggling with the Wizards in 2011/12, Blatche is thriving with the Nets this season. His points per 36 minutes (19.8) and PER (22.9), among other categories, would be career-highs if he maintained those averages all season. As the 26-year-old points out to Bondy, based on how he's fit in Brooklyn so far, "There's no reason not to want to come back." At season's end, we'll see if that interest is reciprocated by the Nets.