I don't know, signing Davis was supposed to be indicative of "committed to winning." I remember David Falk said that Brand's move to FA was so that the Clippers could have more flexibility to sign another star player. Any way you look at it, Brand/Falk did make some verbal commitment to the Clippers. He Boozered the Clippers, alright, just not the exact scenario.
You could be right. I forgot they had to renounce Maggette as well in order to go for Baron. A Brand,Davis,and Maggette trio in theory could have been quite dangerous.
Maggette was not going to get paid 10M in L.A. and even if he was, the odds of him returning were slim to none. He and Dunleavy weren't even close to getting along.
Why is everyone comparing Brand to Boozer when Boozer tricked the Cavs into giving up a right they had, whereas Brand exercised what was in his right to exercise? It's not like he needed the Clippers' permission to opt out. Having said that, just another terrible terrible story for Duke -- guards are busts and big men are liers.
