Andrea Bargnani says he would have played 'for free'

By foxsports
Published

Andrea Bargnani took a minimum deal to play for the Nets, and though there wasn't a ton of demand for him this time around, there were reports that he turned down an offer to play for the Kings for more money.

Bargnani, though, wasn't prioritizing the money after coming off a huge contract he signed with the Toronto Raptors five years ago. Actually, NetsDaily translated an interview he did in Italian that showed exactly how little he cares about money these days:

In a philosophical interview with il Fatto Quotidiano, an Italian newspaper, Andrea Bargnani said that he turned down other, higher paying jobs in the NBA because he has something to prove with the Nets. The 29-year-old signed for the vets minimum of $1.4 million with a player option on a second year.

"I would have done it for free because the money at this time does not matter," said Bargnani who's made $72 million in his NBA career ... and who's made some profitable investments in Italy. After two years with the Knicks --and what he has called "crazy bad luck" -- Bargnani said he wanted to start over ...in New York. He said he wants to forget the injuries that limited him to 71 games in two years.

"I just hope I can have a decent playing time, scoring as many points and exceed goals," he told interviewer Malcom Pagani . "I do not think I was lucky (last year). Luck is good health that allows you to prove your talent at the right time. The rest is the work. I made risky choices, indeed extremely risky and I intend to continue to take risks. I accept all the criticism, it is living in a beautiful dream, I know myself. "

Bargnani probably won't get nearly as much time this year as he did with the Knicks or Raptors, considering Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young will slot into the starting big-men spots, but he does have a chance to be a shooter off the bench if he makes his threes, something that hasn't happened in recent years. Maybe the Nets found something. Either way, I bet they wish they were allowed to have his production for free next year.

(h/t NetsDaily)