Tobias Harris recently turned down an $80 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers and his decision raised some eyebrows.
The 26-year-old has played for four teams in his seven years in the NBA and has never made an All-Star appearance, which makes it surprising that he chose to turn down such a lucrative deal.
Harris, however, explained that it wasn't something he did easily but felt was ultimately the right decision for his future.
"I think for the average fan, when you see such a big number, you (take a long) look at that number," Harris told theScore after a Team USA minicamp practice this week in Las Vegas.
"But there's a lot of things to consider. Myself and my representation went to the drawing board, looked at all types of variables, and came out with this being the decision to make.
"It's not something you just sit back and quickly say yes or no to. At the end of the day, it's $80 million."
Self-belief
The small forward has chosen to gamble on himself as he believes he can earn more money by taking his game to a new level next season.
He's eligible for a max contract next year worth approximately $188 million over five years if he stays with the Clippers or four years, $145m if he chooses to sign elsewhere.
Harris expressed his gratitude to LA for giving him such a big offer but he wants to prove his value should be higher.
"Receiving that offer was a huge accomplishment, and I was extremely grateful," he said.
"But with that being said, I've always stuck to proving myself as a player and proving my value. Whatever that number is at the end of next season, that's where it's at, but I'm gonna go out on the court and earn my value."
The former Tennessee product, who was part of the trade that sent Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, is coming off a career year in the league.
Over 80 games with both the Pistons and Clippers last season, he averaged 18.6 points, 2.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
Harris has only been in Los Angeles for a few months but he's hoping to commit his long-term future to the franchise.
"Since day one, since I've been on the Clippers, it's been nothing but love," he said.
"I love the organisation, love the city, and want to be here for a long time. Both sides have really good feels for each other. Hopefully this is a long-term relationship."
It'll be interesting to see if he can earn himself the huge contract he wants in 12 months' time or come to regret his decision to turn down the offer he had on the table.
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