When Stephen Jackson told Dime magazine in an interview and his fans at a promotional event in New York that he wanted to be traded, Warriors management did something unusual. They didn't insist he'd been misquoted. In fact, they didn't refute it at all. They simply responded: This is not really news to us.
"There have been some indications that there might be something going on there," general manager Larry Riley told the San Francisco Chronicle. "What I'd like to do now is just slow down and evaluate things and see what's really up." Jackson averaged 20.7 points per game for the Warriors last season after signing a three-year, $28 million extension that takes him through the 2012-13 season.
But on Aug. 28, he told Dime magazine he'd like someone else to pay him the guaranteed $36 million he is slated to earn in the next four years.
"I'm 31 years old. I have four or five years left," he told the magazine. "I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring."
The Warriors, with almost all their top players missing significant time because of injuries, won just 29 games last season. That was 19 short of making the Western Conference playoffs. Obviously, Jackson doesn't see improved health and the drafting of collegiate star Stephen Curry as enough to make up that kind of ground, let alone get into true title contention.
"I don't think I'll be a Warrior next year," he told a group gathered in New York for a shoe endorsement. "I'm looking to leave."
Riley assured the team would not be pressured into trading arguably the franchise's most valuable player.
"Stephen Jackson has been a true professional since arriving here three seasons ago," he said in a statement released by the team, "and our expectations of him have not changed despite his recent comments. He's been one of our most consistent and productive players during that time. We expect that same display of professionalism as we begin to prepare for training camp and the start of the upcoming regular season.
"As far as his remarks on playing for a championship... that's not the first time we've heard it because that's the goal that he sets for himself and his teammates every season. That's the type of confidence that he exudes as a player and the reason that he has endeared himself to our fans. That's who Stephen Jackson is.
"We have always understood his desire to contend with the NBA's best; that's an aspiration that is shared by our entire organization. We will continue in our quest to achieve that goal, and to be aggressive in pursuit of those results."
