?Was Never Offered $80 Million?: Ex-Warriors Star Debunks 25YO Falsity That Triggered Sixers Trade

It’s good to plan things out for the future, but it’s never certain that things will go as you want. But for a 48-year-old NBA legend, it was something that he learned the hard way. From being a star in the NBA during his younger days to eventually becoming a journeyman in the league, the former Golden State Warriors star, Joe Smith, has not always had things go his way.

One of his earliest mistakes was not signing a rookie extension when he was with the Warriors. Although he was given a massive contract, Joe Smith had other plans for himself that did not turn out so well.

Warriors did not give the money that Joe Smith wanted

Joe Smith was recently interviewed by VladTV. During his interview, Smith was asked if he was offered 80 million dollars by the Golden State Warriors. Smith revealed that it’s a question that he has been answering for years. However, the truth is that he has never been offered that much money by the Warriors. If he was, then he might not have faced the financial issues that he is currently in.

Smith was the first pick in the 1995 NBA draft. He was a great young talent, and during his time with the Warriors, he averaged 17 points and 8.2 rebounds. Although the Warriors wanted to bring him back, but Smith was not happy with the offer that they made.

Smith said, “No, I was never offered 80 million dollars from the Warriors… So there was no offer that anything substantial like that. No, I was never offered that much. I think the most they ever came to the table was maybe 50 or 60 at that time. But I felt at that time you know, worth more and wanted to try and see, play my hand, and put my card somewhere else.“

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This obviously did not end well, as he was traded during the third year of his rookie deal to the 76ers. However, that didn’t turn out well and soon, he was in search of a new team. Smith decided it was better for him to test free agency and find his true value there.

But little did he know that he would be making a big mistake. This is because he eventually ended up signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But what shocked the fans was that he signed a one-year deal for 1.75 million dollars. Why would Smith, who rejected $60 million from the Warriors, sign for $1.75 million with the Timberwolves? Let’s find out.

Contract agreements costs Smith dearly

Smith was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers from the Warriors in the 1997?98 season. After the season, he signed a one-year contract with the Timberwolves. He repeated it at the end of his contract and signed another one-year deal with the Wolves. Smith did that again a third time. A young player who was offered $60 million, signing up for less than $2 million thrice was just unheard of.

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That’s when the truth came out of an underhand deal set up by Joe Smith’s agent and the Timberwolves. If Smith signed three one-year contracts with the Wolves, he was promised that he would be given an 86 million-dollar contract, according to USA Today. This ended up being extremely costly for Smith and the Timberwolves, as the NBA voided Smith’s contract and the Timberwolves lost possession of multiple first-round picks.

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What do you think of Joe Smith’s decision? Let us know in the comments!