For Wells, Blazers, only the price might differ
06/30/02
JASON QUICK
Bonzi Wells becomes a free agent Monday, and the Trail Blazers guard said he wants to stay in Portland. Team president Bob Whitsitt said he wants to keep Wells a Blazer.
And because of the changing economic climate of the NBA, there doesn't appear to be a team that can use more money to lure Wells away.
Wells, who made $2.03 million last season, is expected to spend most of July exploring his worth on the market. If another team signs him to an offer sheet, the Blazers will have 15 days to match the offer, or let him go.
The problem for Wells is that only one team -- the Los Angeles Clippers -- was under the salary cap last season, meaning that unless a team makes a trade to create cap room, the most Wells can be offered is the mid-level exception, which is expected to be about $4.5 million.
Wells' situation is part of the new NBA, which for the first time will operate under luxury tax rules that penalize teams one dollar for every dollar they are over the salary cap.
"This is the first time we have a hard cap, and the owners are taking that very seriously," Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh said. "When owners say they don't want to go over that number, you don't go over. So there are going to be some players who are in difficult situations. There are not enough teams under the cap to make big-time offers."
Because Wells has played the last four seasons with the Blazers, he fits under the so-called Larry Bird exception of the collective bargaining agreement, which doesn't limit the Blazers in what they can offer Wells.
"The only way we wouldn't have Bonzi back is if some offer is so totally out of line that we choose not to match it," Whitsitt said. "That doesn't mean he can't go out and get $8 million, he just has to find a team that has $8 million who says he is worth $8 million. Then if he signs that sheet, we are in a difficult position, where we have to ask ourselves if we can fit him in our structure for $8 million, or is that too much and we have to let him go."
Wells had his best season as a pro last year, averaging 17.0 points after recovering from surgery in April 2001 for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
But unlike some of his teammates, such as Damon Stoudamire, who long before the luxury tax was contrived signed a free agent contract that will pay him about $13 million this season, Wells is caught in a chilly economic climate.
"It has become a very unfavorable situation for players and management," said agent Tony Dutt, who represents Blazers Derek Anderson and Shawn Kemp. "We've come to a point where most teams are borderline, or over, the luxury tax, and so to better a team is very difficult . . . to the point where it is somewhat scary."
Some, such as Walsh, think the economic trend will change how teams reload.
"At some point, the only way to change a team is going to be through trading," Walsh said. "I'm not discounting the draft, but trading is going to become a bigger element of the league."
The Blazers last week filed paperwork to give Wells a 25 percent raise. It is called a qualifying offer, which allows the Blazers to match any offer Wells receives from another team.
For that reason, Whitsitt is confident the Blazers will keep Wells.
"We get the chance to say 'yes or no' at the end of the day," Whitsitt said. "In my mind, I have a real strong idea of what he is worth. But until he has a chance to go out on the market and figure out what his worth is, we won't be able to sit down and work something out. But I'm always ready to talk."
Both Wells and his agent, Bill Strickland, did not return phone calls
