There are rumblings in Southern California that the Warriors might be secretly hoping that point guard Baron Davis decides to opt out of his contract this summer, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post.

There are two theories as to why Coach Don Nelson benched Davis in the second half of the team's late-season loss to the Suns that ended their playoff hopes.

One is that Nelson was "punishing" Davis for not getting proper rest the night before; the other is that Nellie was hoping to push Baron towards opting out and becoming a free agent.

Davis will be owed $17.8 million next season if he doesn't opt out of his current deal, money that executive Chris Mullin could certainly use in order to keep young guys like Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, Matt Barnes, and Mickael Pietrus in town.

Davis has repeatedly stated that he wants to remain a Warrior, but agent Todd Ramasar expressed a need for his client to reconsider his position.