This, from Chad Ford’s ranking of the NBA’s free agents:

Media reports suggest that Arenas has two max offers to choose from. The Wizards have offered him a six-year, $127 million offer.

The Warriors have offered him five years, $100 million. The Warriors would love to have Arenas back, but they are prohibited by NBA rules from offering him a lucrative sixth year. That should be enough to swing Arenas back to Washington.

That’s pretty wild. It’s been a long time since anyone’s taken a full six year deal, which also means it’s been a long time since anyone signed a deal for nine figures. The last people I can think of are Kobe, who became an unrestricted free agent (like Arenas) in 2004 and signed a new deal with the Lakers worth more than $136.4 million over seven years, and Shaq, who opted out of the last year of his deal worth $30.4 million in 2005 to sign an extension with the Heat worth $100 million over five years. Oh, hang on, and Rashard Lewis inexplicably signed for $126 million over six years with the Magic last year. But that doesn’t count because Orlando was the only team offering a deal within $50 million of that price.

The point is, broadly speaking, the current market is a lot different from the late 90s and early 2000s, when players like Allan Houston ($100 million), Alonzo Mourning ($105 million), Juwon Howard ($105 million), Michael Finley ($102 million), Shawn Kemp ($107 million), and Chris Webber ($127 million) were all getting ridiculous salaries relative to their actual on-court production. And for Gilbert Arenas to join the $100 million club means that at least two clubs are comparing his value to Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. That’s wild. Even wilder is that he’s representing himself in negotiations, saving millions in agent commissions.

Assuming he signs the Wizards deal, he’ll return to Washington with Antawn Jamison, who resigned with the team for $50 million over four years. Half their cap will be tied up in those two players, and I’m still not sure that they’re making it to the second round of the playoffs. In the current east, too. The Raps have stengthened (hopefully) their frontcourt, the Heat seem poised to try to strengthen their team, as well, the Pistons are intent on getting younger and more athletic, the Celtics will make another run if they can avoid injuries, the Cavs will be more cohesive as a team, the Bucks have Redd back and have added Jefferson, Orlando could win the East if Howard’s sternum heals, Chicago will be a player if Del Negro’s legit and Rose isn’t Jay Williams redux, and the Nets, Hawks and Sixers are young, hyper-athletic and dangerous. My point being that $127 million doesn’t buy you any kind of certainty…unless you’re spending it on Kobe.

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David Faulk on the sports agent business
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Bill Simmons on Bryan Colangelo
Simmons on the death of the Seven Seconds or Less era
Bobcats preferred Stephen Jackson’s 4 years, $35m over Allen Iverson’s 1 year, $3 m.