Mike D'Antoni's Agent Clarifies Reports of Rockets' $5 Million Contract Offer
Warren LeGarie, the agent for Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni, provided specifics Friday regarding the contract offer his client recently received from the Rockets.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, LeGarie said the offer would have only paid D'Antoni $5 million during the 2020-21 season if the Rockets made the playoffs and if D'Antoni coached for the entire season:
"I'd like [to] clear up some inaccuracies that were stated about the offer made to Mike. The reported $5 million is really $2.5 million because it comes with contingencies. One, it's only $5 million if he makes the playoffs and two, if he is coaching the team at the end of the year. If they decide to fire Mike in the proverbial change of direction he gets $2.5 million. If there is an injury or a change in the roster construction, of which Mike has no control, he nonetheless would become a victim of it."
On Thursday, D'Antoni said that he and the Rockets had ended extension talks, meaning he will be in the final year of his contract when he coaches the Rockets in 2019-20.
Feigen reported Thursday that Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta told him D'Antoni was offered a one-year, $5 million extension with a $1 million bonus for each playoff round won.
In addition to the deal only being worth $2.5 million if the Rockets miss the playoffs, LeGarie said the bonus would not kick in until the second round of the playoffs. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey confirmed the specifics LeGarie provided on the offer.
Per ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, Fertitta suggested that D'Antoni turning down the offer was actually a positive for the organization:
"I'm gonna tell you what I think from an owner's perspective, OK? I don't know what 'lame duck' means because he's under contract. I think his agent did me a favor, OK, because if for some reason we had a horrible year and we thought we needed to make a coaching change, we just got through paying off one of the other coaches, I believe. So I hope we win a championship and Mike comes and puts a gun to my head."
LeGarie insisted to Feigen that he and D'Antoni were not "insulted" by Houston's offer and that they merely opted not to accept it:
"We're not here to criticize the offer. We're here to choose whether or not to accept it. We chose based on the current market for coaches of his stature as well as what he has done for the Rockets, the offer did not make sense for him, though I'm sure it makes sense for the Rockets. We don't consider the offer insulting. It's still real money. But it is our right not to take it."
The 68-year-old D'Antoni has said that he plans to coach for "at least" three more years.
In this three seasons with the Rockets, D'Antoni owns a 173-73 record with three playoff appearances and four playoff series wins. That includes a trip to the Western Conference Finals last season in which Houston pushed the Golden State Warriors to seven games.
The Rockets were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs by the Warriors this season in six games.
Houston has won at least 53 games in each of D'Antoni's seasons with the Rockets, including an NBA-best 65 in 2017-18.
Overall, D'Antoni has 15 seasons of NBA head coaching experience with the Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. He has a career record of 628-499 (.557) with nine playoff appearances and two NBA Coach of the Year awards.
Although the Rockets have been one of the NBA's top teams during D'Antoni's tenure, Wojnarowski reported this week that Morey is making virtually the entire roster available via trade this offseason.
That means D'Antoni may have a new-look team in what may be his final campaign with the Rockets next season. If not, he will lead the likes of James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela in hopes of finally getting past the Warriors.
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