Mavericks center Andrew Bogut made headlines on Wednesday, after he suggested in an interview with an Australian radio station that he doesn’t expect his time in Dallas to last a whole lot longer. Noting that his expiring contract and his skill set made him a potentially valuable trade chip, Bogut said that he’ll likely only have “a couple of months more” with the Mavs.
Those comments were the primary topic of discussion today when local reporters spoke to Bogut and Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. The former No. 1 pick went into more detail about his expectations for the coming weeks and months, while Carlisle weighed in on the topic as well. Here are some of Bogut’s key quotes from today’s media session, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com:
On why he said he expects to be traded:
“I’m not silly. I’ve been in this league long enough. I’m an expiring contract. I haven’t asked for a trade, but I know in this league we’re 11-24, and I was being honest. There’s a chance that I get traded. That turned out into a headline that says ‘Bogut wants out,’ which is false, but it’s just one of the things you have to deal with in this league. … Like I said, they can obviously get some picks back and build for the future by trading some of the veteran guys, and I could be one of them. Hint and emphasis on ‘could.’
On whether he wants to be traded:
“Look, if there’s an opportunity to go somewhere and they want to do it, I’m not going to beg them to not trade me. But I have not gone to the [front] office and asked for a trade. That’s probably the best answer that I can give you. It’s been a tough season for everybody involved, but it’s far from the truth that I’ve gone to management and asked for a trade.”
On whether he thinks he could stay with the Mavs and re-sign with the team in the summer:
“If you’re asking me today and I had to put my house on it, I’d say no, just because if there was an opportunity for me to come back, there would have been at least extension talks, which I’m not bitter about. I’m not mad about it. It’s just the reality of it. It’s the writing on the wall. … The Mavs eventually have to start rebuilding, too. There’s no point in bringing back a 33-year-old center if you’re in rebuild mode. … I just don’t see it.”
On whether he wants a contract buyout:
“If I was going to push for a buyout, I would have done it weeks ago and tried to get on a team and get solidified.”
Check out MacMahon’s full piece for more from Bogut, along with quotes from Carlisle, who suggests that the Mavs view re-signing the center as “a real possibility.”
Andrew bogut IS a smart veteran that been around the league for a long time.
That know what it like being traded.