Gilbert Arenas pulled a trick out of Kobe Bryant’s PR playbook over the weekend, trying to worm his way back into the NBA spotlight (during the Finals no less) by informing everyone that he intends to exercise his player option after next season and look to sign a new, more lucrative contract extension. But don’t worry folks, it’s just business.

“To me, it’s just a smarter business decision to play next season, opt out and then be able to sign a long-term deal that is going to keep me in one place,” Arenas told the The Washington Post.

To his credit, Arenas has not said he is looking to leave Washington, he just wants to be paid what he’s worth. And that’s the rub. Agent Zero showed last year he’s one of the 15 best players in the NBA. In order to compete for a title, Arenas needs help. But the Wizards (or any other club for that matter) will be hampered in their efforts to surround Agent Zero with the talent needed to get to the mountain top if he’s taking up 25% of the salary cap all by his lonesome.

It’s worth noting that the San Antonio Spurs, in the NBA Finals for the third time in five years, aren’t even in the top 10 in NBA team payrolls. They are where they are because they’re smart with their money. You can’t buy your way to the title in the NBA. Just ask the Knicks.

So where does this leave the Wizards? Between the proverbial rock and a hard place. They can either pay him his money or watch him leave. Even worse, they could make a panic move and mortgage their future for a chance to win right now. It’s also worth noting that GM Ernie Grunfeld has been more than happy to let talent go to other teams rather than overpay (Larry Hughes and Jared Jeffries say “Hi”). Stay tuned.

Photo by Kyle Gustafson