We’ve heard from Gilbert about what he wants to see happen this summer, today Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld chimed in with what he wants to see happen. Thankfully they both seem to want the same thing this off-season:

We’re on the same page, then. Because we want to sign Antawn. We want to sign Gilbert, I kind of liked it. He’s supportive of his teammate. And he enjoys playing with Antawn. And that’s been our plan all along. I’m glad to see everyone in the organization is on the same page.

Our intent all along has been to have both of those players back and to keep our core together. And at the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with both of those parties and see what we can work out. We’re going to be fair with our players. These players have done a lot for our franchise and we hope to have them here for a very long time.

From everything that’s been said so far from all the parties, it looks like Gilbert is going to be staying in Washington, but there’s still another month and a half before free agency opens on July 1st. We’ll see what happens.

Gilbert Arenas is unconventional. What other athlete asks the team to resign him to a paycut? That’s exactly what Gilbert told reporters last night before the Washington Wizards took on the Los Angeles Lakers. The only stipulation is to resign Antoine Jamison.

“We’ve been together six out of my seven years. I told him, whatever he wants, give it to him, and I’ll take the pay cut.”

For those Wizard fans breathing a sign of relief, don’t celebrate just yet. Arenas also implied he would take less to play for a championship contender.

“Going to a team like the Lakers, Dallas, any championship team, I’d have to take a pay cut to go there,” Arenas said. “The pay cut is, if I leave I have to take a pay cut, if Antawn comes back, I’d have to take a pay cut.”

You may remember Gilbert on his blog criticizing several players, including the Philadelphia 76er’s Andre Iguodala, for not agreeing on a $12 million dollar contract last summer.

Now after A.I. left, you were supposed to be that No. 1 guy, but, the way he plays the game, he doesn’t have that. He’s not that type of player. He’s a second guy. An assistant coach told me a great story about him. When he was in Arizona, he said he was like 9-for-11 from the field and he apologized to the team for shooting 11 shots. From that day on, I just called him Scottie Pippen. He’s a Scottie Pippen type of player. A great, overall player. He’s your glue player. You need a superstar and then you need him. So $12 million is good for you. Nothing more and nothing less. Be happy with the $12 million.

What was Iguodala’s response when told of the comments?

“I have better stuff to read,” he said. “I don’t read much of that because even if it’s good, you have to stay humble and be consistent. What matters is what my teammates and coaches say about me.”

Right now I’m telling the Boston fans: You guys are going to lose. It’s not going to be a victory for Boston. You might as well just cheer for me, because Boston isn’t winning in Boston for the season opener. I’m sorry.”

Watch it tonight on ESPN (8 PM EST).

The newest issue of Dime Magazine with Greg Oden on the cover has a page where Gilbert gives 10 reasons why 2008 will be known as “The Takeover: Reloaded.”

Among the interesting tidbits, many of which, he has already shared on his NBA.com blog, he talks about the rudest thing an NBA player has ever said to him. It was Gary Payton in his rookie year in which Payton scored 16 straight points in the first couple of minutes in the game. Arenas was scared and his confidence was shattered. Then Payton said to him:

“You’re lucky I’m not an A.I. type of player. I would score 50 on you in the first half.”

Gilbert says that to this day, everytime he plays against Payton, he tries to score 35 on him in the first quarter.