NBA Free Agency 2012: Ramon Sessions Will Regret Opting out with L.A. Lakers

Charlotte Bobcats guard Ramon Sessions is shown in this Feb. 29, 2012, file photo. (Photo by Cavs History/Flickr.com)

Originally written for Bleacher Report

Ramon Sessions made the decision to opt out from his Los Angeles Lakers contract that was set to pay him $4.55 million.

He has since agreed to sign a two-year deal worth $5 million per year with the Charlotte Bobcats, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears. Unless Sessions has unknown motivations, he’s really going to regret opting out.

The Raise Is Misleading

Yes, Sessions will get a $500,000 raise, but his merchandise sales would certainly be higher in Los Angeles.

In addition, his ability to play more high-profile games and be more marketable is surely greater out in California.

Playing with Hall of Famers

Sessions had the opportunity to play with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol.

Instead, he’ll be going to Charlotte to play with journeymen and players with more potential than accomplishments.

He’ll be able to put up better individual numbers in Charlotte, but wins won’t be as frequent.

Backup Role Would Be Temporary

It’s understandable that Sessions would want to be a starter. There’s no way he would start in front of Nash, but he is 38 years old.

Sessions would get a decent amount of playing time and would get a handful of spot starts when Nash needed a break. In a few years, they could hand the keys to Sessions and he could officially take over the offense.

It really feels like there’s more than meets the eye with Sessions and his decision to opt out. Did he have personal conflicts with Bryant? Did he dislike the constant criticism that comes with playing in a big market?

In any event, he’s going to regret this decision as he watches the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs from his couch.