Sean Deveney

It has been known that the Golden State Warriors, reacting to the surprise opt-out of point guard Baron Davis and the even bigger surprise signing by the Los Angeles Clippers, have tried to replace him with another point guard, Washington Wizards free agent Gilbert Arenas. But, despite Arenas' frequently professed love for the Bay Area, multiple sources say it's likely that Arenas will head back to the Wizards with a near-max contract in hand.

But here's what hasn't been known: Two sources report that the Warriors, flush with cap space now that they're not responsible for Davis' $17.8 million option, reached out with an offer to Clippers free-agent big man Elton Brand in an attempt to limit any potential PR damage from the loss of Davis. "Baron is very popular," one of the sources says, "and if they can't replace him with Gilbert, Elton is the next-best option."

On one hand, the loss of Davis creates a vast amount of cap space for Golden State and more flexibility to build on its young roster. On the other hand, cap space does not sell tickets, and the Warriors are lacking a point guard. Brand, one of the NBA's most personable players, would mitigate the loss of Davis. Further, coach Don Nelson might not be eager to preside over a rebuilding project in what is likely his final year as the team's coach, so the Warriors would need to add veteran help.

Golden State would be a long shot to sign Brand, who has said he wants to remain a Clipper. One of Brand's goals in opting out of the final year of his contract — besides the obvious goal of longer-term financial security — was to help force the improvement of the Clippers' roster. With Davis on board, the Clippers have accomplished that, and Brand could sign a new contract with the Clippers quickly.