The Washington Bullets on Friday matched a $17 million six-year contract offer to keep Harvey Grant from going to the New York Knicks.
But if Grant has his way, he probably won`t stay with the Bullets. ”The money`s good, don`t get me wrong,” he said. ”But this goes beyond money. They insulted me, they insulted my integrity, me as a person, my character.” Given his feelings, he said, there is a ”90 percent chance” that he`ll take advantage of a clause in his contract allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent after two seasons.
Under the terms of the agreement, he will request a $3.5 million loan on top of the $1 million in cash he`s scheduled to get Monday. That would also mean he would walk away from $13.325 million.
The Bullets are determined to lure Grant back. Said Bullets General Manager John Nash: ”Harvey is a key component to this team`s success, and we could not afford to let him get away.”
”I`m disappointed,” said Knicks GM Dave Checketts, ”because he was the best free agent we thought we had a shot at.”
