Former Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut knows his days as a Dallas Maverick are numbered according to an interview he gave to Australia’s Sky Sports Radio.
After being traded in the offseason to make room for the incoming Kevin Durant, Bogut played in 16 of the Mavericks’ first 20 games this season before going down with a right knee injury, that sidelined him for the next 11 games. When he came back, Bogut requested to come off the bench, and now feels that it’s likely he will be out of Dallas after this season, or traded before the February deadline.
“Thankfully I’m a free agent here so I only have a couple of months more here and then will most likely move on,” Bogut said. “I don’t see myself hanging around with everything that’s gone on. It will be an interesting six months ahead.”
Bogut is in the final season of his three-year $36 million deal he signed in 2014 with the Warriors. With only four-months left on what is now considered a reasonable contract, Bogut believes he will have suitors in the trade market.
“I’ve got a valuable contract,” Bogut said. “Having four months left on my contract, I’m a valuable commodity to be moved.”
Bogut is likely to continue coming off the bench for Dallas, as the team has had problems when he shares the floor with fellow seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki, who praised his Australian teammate saying, “that’s a veteran move…that’s a guy who has obviously been around and won a championship. Everybody has got to sacrifice a little.”
Warriors play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald joined Murph and Mac Thursday morning, and said part of the frustration for Bogut, and other departed Warriors, is that they miss playing in Golden State.
“I think the thing for Andrew, and even Harrison Barnes and probably Mo Speights and Barbosa and others is, they’re probably still bummed they’re not on the Warriors,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s the business of the sport. I know that they’re all very smart so they understand why they’re not on the Warriors.”
“The Warriors are a better team and better now going forward given the core four. Andrew is a pretty direct guy — Dallas is the worst team in the Western Conference, and he’s probably not happy when you win 67 and 73 games, and go to a team that might win 25 — so I could see him being a little spicy. I think they have totally floated his name to be moved, and no player really likes that.”
“It’s part of the business but it’s sort of the ‘you don’t really care for me or want me around.’ I also think he’s asked Dallas for an extension and they’ve said no, so that’s why he’s being pretty direct about moving on, because he’s asked the Mavs to make a commitment to him and they haven’t.”
Dallas (11-24) currently sits in 13th place in the Western Conference.
