Shane Larkin opted out of a contract with the Nets that paid him $1.5 last season and would’ve duplicated that salary this year. Instead of landing in the NBA with a raise, he signed in Spain.
Larkin, in a Q&A with Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype:You saw a lot of guys opting out of their contract in free agency and it went well for most of them. You did the same, didn’t go so well for you. Any regret?
SL: Not really. The situation in Baskonia is a better situation than Brooklyn knowing that they wanted to go in a different direction. I could have possibly been in a bad situation with the guards they drafted perhaps playing in front of me because the new management might want to see them play. That situation wasn’t ideal. I don’t feel any regret about my decision. Obviously, it’s not all about the money, but I’m playing for more money this year than I did last year and I’m playing in a good situation where I’m going to have a lot of people watching me play and seeing my improvement. I’ll play in a competition where there’s a bunch of talented players. I think there’s 10 guys that were in the Euroleague that signed NBA deals this summer.
Even if Larkin’s base salary is higher – his claim – it’s hard to believe he’ll come out ahead financially. He won’t receive a shortfall check. He won’t earn a year of service, which leads to a higher minimum salary and better healthcare in retirement.
There’s a reason Larkin changed agents during free agency.
As Larkin said, money isn’t everything. But that’s often something said by people who screw up their finances.
