@Andrew - definitely wanted a little cap leeway, you know, just in case
@Thierry, Azzdogs - yeah i definitely wasn't going to chance letting Azubuike drift into free agency and trying to sign him there since many teams freed up cap space and would likely cast bids; Bell unfortunately was asking for too much especially considering, at 33, he's not exactly a spring chicken;
@Valdis22 - like Bell, Watson was asking a little too much annually plus he also wanted a 6-yr commitment; that wasn't going to happen;
@Lamrock - overpaid? perhaps. at least first appearance might seem like it, but i don't feel so. I look at Azubuike in terms of the Warrior whom he replaced ie., Jason Richardson.
IRL they're comparable players who put up comparable stats yet both set to make:
Jason Richardson
$13,333,332 09-10
$14,444,443 10-11
Kelenna Azubuike
$3,100,000 09-10
$3,300,000 10-11 (Player Option)
Now, one could argue J-Rich has better overall career stats; but Kelenna is 3 yrs younger and has yet to reach his peak, but still puts up comparable production in less minutes/game and doing so while not being considered a top scoring option, at least not as much as Richardson has been for his past teams.
J-Rich peaked in his sixth season stats-wise; Kelenna is currently starting his 5th season and only getting better (in my dynasty anyway, who knows IRL; maybe he'll suck next year and never be the same after his injury)
So if Azubuike were to peak in 2 seasons, I'd still have his better days for 3-4 more years; and in his final (highest-paid) year he'd still be making considerably less -- 4.85 mil less! -- than J-Rich's final year (9.55 vs. 14.4 mil)
Anyway, I had hoped to re-sign both he AND Raja Bell for around what Azubuike signed for; just didn't work out