Is C.J. Watson Coming to His Senses?

Pretty soon, we're going to find out if C.J. Watson is a gambler or not. Apparently, Watson is considering making a very bold move, and quite risky, too.

Various reports have Watson poised to sign a one-year qualifying offer from the Warriors worth $1.05 million. If that's the case, it means Watson, just 19 months removed from a D-League call-up, is turning his back on a three-year, $5.4 million offer from Golden State -- with a player option for Year No. 3, no less. That's pretty gutsy.

Late Tuesday night, both Watson's agent and the Warriors confirmed there was no deal between the sides. But two days ago, Watson announced on Twitter that he was returning to the Warriors.

Is it possible Watson is reconsidering that three-year deal? Apparently so.

"Bottom line, unless he's called (Warriors general manager) Larry Riley directly, he hasn't made a decision yet," said Mike Higgins, Watson's agent. "He hasn't told me one way or the other. I know he's weighing both as of today (Tuesday night), as of right now."

The only logical reason for Watson to spurn that kind of money is if he believed he'd be able to get a better deal next season on the free agent market. Only one problem: Watson will be a restricted free agent again next season, a fact that has been frequently misreported.

When Higgins was asked if Watson was aware that if he takes the one-year qualifying offer he would still be a restricted free agent next season, he responded: "Yes. I've told him about 40 times."

Watson drew interest earlier in the summer from the Magic but was never given a formal offer because all indications were that the Warriors would match.

The two teams have talked sign-and-trade throughout the summer but have been unable to come up with a deal. About three weeks ago, as talks with Orlando heated up, Watson said he would rather play for the Magic than the Warriors.

At the time, Watson had an offer from the Warriors in front of him for three years, $4.5 million. In the past week, the Warriors actually sweetened that deal and included the opt-out clause in the final year. Let's be honest, for a player such as Watson to leave almost $4.5 million on the table ... that sure seems like a head-scratcher.

"He hasn't come to any conclusion yet," Higgins said. "He's just weighing his options, trying to figure out if Golden State is the best place for him going forward. It's not years, money or anything like this. But he looks at their roster. They drafted (Stephen) Curry. They've got five point guards.

"So I just think he's trying to see where he fits with the Warriors. Not just with point guards but guards in general who will factor in somehow. He hasn't made any decision one way or the other."

Watson had a nice year for the Warriors in 2008-09, taking advantage of bonus playing time he received because of injuries. Watson, who averaged 9.5 points ppg., played 24 minutes per game last season, no doubt aided by injuries to Monta Ellis, Marco Belinelli and Jamal Crawford.

There is no assurance Watson will have as big of a role for the Warriors this year as he did last season. If Ellis is healthy, he's going to play a lot of minutes. There's Curry, who is certain to get plenty of playing time. And don't forget, as of late last season, Warriors coach Don Nelson said he wanted to play Stephen Jackson more at his customary two-spot.

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