The opt-out allowed Webber to reap the benefits of the NBA's surge in popularity and maximize his earning potential. When Webber used an early opt-out clause to hit restricted free agency the following season, it looked like he would be giving up a big chunk of money to gain his freedom, especially since he had to sign a 1 year, $2 million deal in order to complete the sign-and-trade and allow the Bullets to maintain his rights in restricted free agency the following season. As a result, Chris Webber signed a 15 year, $74 million deal with the Warriors coming out of college. There was no rookie scale at the time, so teams were throwing out big wads of money in exchange for long-term security. The smartest financial move Chris Webber made in his career was using the early opt-out clause in his rookie dealĬhris Webber entered the NBA in 1993, at a time when rookie contracts were spiraling out of control. The Bullets had to forfeit their 1997 draft pick after the Juwan Howard contract fiasco, and in 1999 they drafted Richard Hamilton, who they flipped to Detroit for Jerry Stackhouse before Hamilton peaked as a Piston. The Bullets used their 1995 pick to draft Rasheed Wallace, who they wound up dealing to Portland a year later for Rod Strickland. Still, it's painful to look back now and think about what could have been if the Wizards had opted to trade their 1995, 19 picks instead. The 2000 draft was one of the more disastrous draft classes in recent memory, so you can't be too upset for the Wizards avoiding that mess. In 1998 the Warriors used the Wizards' pick to draft Vince Carter, only to trade him to Toronto for Antawn Jamison. In 1996, the Bullets could have taken Kobe Bryant two spots ahead of the Hornets with the 11th pick had they not dealt it away. To avoid invoking the Ted Stepien rule, the Bullets gave up their first round picks in 1996, 19. Still, the exact picks the Bullets chose to give Golden State in the deal proved to be costly. That seems like a fair price for a number one overall pick who had just won Rookie of the Year. When the Bullets traded for Chris Webber in November 1994, they gave the Warriors Tom Gugliotta and three first rounders to close the deal. The Chris Webber trade cost Washington a chance at Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter
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