John Calipari has maintained for years that he has no interest in returning to the NBA, but everyone has a price. Not surprisingly, Calipari’s is very, very high.
Simply put, Calipari wants to be the highest-paid coach in the NBA if he leaves Kentucky.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that Calipari has informed NBA teams he would be seeking a 10-year, $120 million contract. That’s $12 million a year. Gregg Popovich is currently the highest-paid coach in the league, and it is believed that he makes somewhere around $11 million annually with the Spurs. Doc Rivers makes roughly $10 million per year with the Clippers.
Wojnarowski adds that Calipari told Kings ownership last year that it would take an offer of $11 million-plus annually to get his attention. He reportedly turned the Cavaliers down in 2014 because their 10-year, $80 million offer was not significantly higher than the $8 million-plus he makes each season at Kentucky.
Calipari wants full control of roster decisions wherever he ends up, which would effectively make him the head coach and general manager. Phil Jackson’s contract with the Knicks is $120 million over 10 years. Calipari, who was a complete failure during his short tenure with the Nets in the 1990s, wants to be paid more than some of the most successful coaches and GMs in NBA history.
And there is reason to believe that at least one team is willing to pay it. According to Woj, Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark is hell-bent on bringing Calipari back to The Big Apple and marketing him as a “franchise savior.” The Nets have traded away a ton of draft picks and wasted money on bad signings, and they fired their head coach and reassigned their GM over the weekend.
If Calipari does decide to return to the NBA (and there have been reports that it is a virtual guarantee at some point), his ideal scenario would be getting the Kings — who are willing to make him a massive offer — and the Nets into a bidding war. Given the level of desperation within the two franchises, he could very well get his wish.
For what it’s worth, Calipari is still issuing denials:
You may have heard me say this before: I absolutely have the best coaching job in sports and I plan on being at Kentucky for a long time.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 11, 2016
I am not negotiating with ANYBODY. My total focus is on this team and winning the next game.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 11, 2016
