It might not be an epic boxing match, but I’m sure that the good people of the Philippines are going to have something to cheer about next month because Agent Zero is headed to Manilla.  The Bog has all the details on Gil’s plans while he’s over there.

It’s interesting to note that Gilbert is leaving only 4 days after the free agency period begins, which tells me that Gilbert feels confident that he’ll have a deal done by then.  If not, it could lead to some bizarre global negotiations which really wouldn’t surprise me at all.  Actually, given that we’re talking about Gilbert, I’m actually looking forward to that possibility, just as long as he stays with the Wizards.

Remember that June 20th deadline?  Who needs it?  Gilbert sure doesn’t:

Gilbert Arenas said he opted out of the final year of his contract with the Washington Wizards by filing the necessary paperwork with the league office Friday. The move makes Arenas, who was scheduled to earn $12.8 million next season, an unrestricted free agent.

Any last hopes that Gilbert might re-consider his options and try to boost his value by staying in his current contract are now gone.  For the first time in 5 years, Gilbert Arenas is a free agent.

We told you a few days ago that Gilbert would be waiting until June 30th to officially opt out of his contract. Well, according to the Washington Post, Gilbert will now be making the move on June 20th, because of a clause in his contract that he just discovered.

This is the point where I mention that an agent would’ve found this out a long, long time ago. Just a thought.

Free Darko just announced that Gilbert Arenas wrote the forward to their upcoming book, Free Darko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today’s Game, which can be pre-ordered here.

If you’re familiar at all with Free Darko, then you know that this news has mind-blowing potential.  This could easily become the greatest foreword in the history of forewords.

With Gilbert’s value arguably at an all-time low after being sidelined for the second time due to his knee, some questioned whether or not Gilbert would still go through with his plans to opt-out at the end of the season, since he could probably increase his money-making potential by getting a healthy year under his belt.

Well, it looks like Gilbert doesn’t see it that way. According to Mike Jones, Gilbert is still intent on opting out of his current contract for a deal that “could exceed $100 million” (Mike’s words, not Gilbert’s or mine) this summer.

I can see where a lot of people would think this is a bad idea since a year of health would significantly increase his chance of getting a big contract. On the other hand, if he stayed in his current contract and got injured again, he could stand to lose a whole lot more than he has at this point.

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld is going to have a end-of-season press conference tomorrow, so expect a lot of questions on his plans with Gilbert tomorrow. We’ll keep you up to date with what he says.