A month ago Charles Barkley said he wouldn’t entertain any other networks and would only retire out of TNT. Obviously, a lot happened since then. Warner Bros Discovery tried to match Amazon’s deal, the NBA rejected it, Chuck slammed the league, and Turner announced litigation. Before the week was up, the situation got complicated. Barkley’s contract has an out clause which would make him the most in-demand free agent in sportscasting. But there might be clauses within his contracts not disclosed to the public. But this is Chuck. He couldn’t be gagged.

At the risk of implying he’s called off retirement, Barkley told NBA insider, Andrew Marchand, that he might consider other networks if he gets stiffed out of his payment. Now Barkley has a pattern of canceling retirement. More than a few fingers and toes are crossed this happens again. But what would prompt Barkley to turn against TNT in a day?

Charles Barkley won’t pay for TNT’s mistakes

This dates back to 2022. TNT was on the verge of losing Charles Barkley to LIV Golf reportedly for a very fat paycheck. But he renewed his contract with Turner along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Ernie Johnson. The contract spanned 10 years, worth $210 million, with at least $10 million annual salary. He signed this while proclaiming he’d not work till he was 70.

With the NBA severing 35-year ties with TNT, things change with the contract. Now Turner not only has to prep for litigation against the NBA but also decide what to do with the existing contracts. Barkley explained the immediate scenario as, “Turner has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I’ll be (a) free agent.” Or in more explicit Chuck-nese, “My thing was, ‘Wait, y’all f–d up, I didn’t f–k up, why do I have to take a pay cut?”

In his statement after the league rejected TNT’s matching rights, Barkley blamed the NBA for ending Inside the NBA. But it does seem that his sentiments towards Turner leadership have not changed.

So, yes, he’s heavily implying that if his contract isn’t honored, he’d consider the three parties within the new NBA media deal who have all expressed interest in all four Inside Guys. Remember, Barkley said in his retirement declaration that he will go, “nowhere other than TNT.” He is aware he’s contradicting himself. He stated that he was approached before but he cut the talks short because none of the networks had confirmed their NBA packages.

About retirement, he said, “Right now, I’m planning on retiring.” His contention with TNT is his payment. “From a compensation standpoint, I said, ‘I will sit down and see what y’all are going to have going forward,'” to Turner and any network he spoke with.

The exact nature of his contract is not known. But it could be a deciding factor on whether Charles continues on TV.

Is it a clean out for Charles Barkley?

Barkley already stated that he included an out clause in his contract in 2022. Shaq’s contract is rumored to have a similar structure. He planned to use it in case the TNT loses the NBA. But Barkley prematurely announced his retirement during the NBA Finals. A month ago, he was sure that TNT had already lost.

Reports at the time of the contract renewal speculated if the contracts prevented the Inside Guys from going to a rival irrespective of a free agency clause. Perhaps they could with a paycut, or if it’s truly like a free agency, another network might buy their contracts. The way Barkley makes it sound, they have to mutually discuss the end of the contract terms.

As for taking his contract elsewhere, he’d still not move without his three besties. It won’t be impossible either. ESPN, NBC, and especially Amazon are very keen to keep the quartet intact and are willing to operate with the same staff out of Atlanta. Industry insiders claim the four of them could easily command at least a $20 million salary bump. But it all depends on TNT getting on the phone with Chuck.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us in the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.