Here's a little pointer to any NBA fan who might bump into Golden State Warriors guard Gilbert Arenas. Whatever you do, don't ask him about free agency.

Arenas will be an intriguing free agent this summer with the Warriors and the Denver Nuggets expected to be the strongest suitors. And although free agency is just about three months away, Arenas really became tired of talking about his future after being grilled by two Mile High City reporters prior to a Feb. 24 game in Denver (Yes, I admit I was one of them). So from that point on, Arenas has often told inquiring media to "see my PR guy" for his statement on his free agent situation that reads as follows:

	The Warriors hope they can talk Gilbert Arenas, center, into staying in the Bay Area.

"Right now my primary concern is helping the Warriors win more basketball games and continuing to improve as a team. I have not dedicated any energy or thought regarding my free agent status and will not until the proper time this summer. Until then, I'm completely focused on playing basketball, having fun and helping my teammates develop."

There will be some top caliber point guards available during free agency this offseason. The Nets' Jason Kidd is undoubtedly the best in the game. Other top free-agent point guards include Milwaukee's Gary Payton and the Clippers' Andre Miller.

It's a given that the Nuggets are desperate to get a floor general, and the aforementioned names are great. But when point guards are mulled around, it's not Kidd, Payton or Miller that are atop the Nuggets' free agency wish list. Rather, it's Arenas.

Why you ask? Since the Warriors get little national air play, only the most ardent basketball fan or followers of the Warriors or the Nuggets have a real appreciation for his play. But in the coming years with Arenas gaining more exposure, more and more hoop fans will find out the best young point guard in the NBA is Arenas.

Arenas currently is averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. The Most Valuable Player of the 2003 Rookie Challenge, he also recently scored a career-high 41 points against Michael Jordan and the Wizards on March 23. Oh yeah, and did I mention he's just 21 years old?

The Warriors can ill afford to lose Arenas since the franchise is right on the cusp of finally making the playoffs after making a run this season. With veteran scorer Antawn Jamison leading the way, the Warriors have a great core of talented young players in Arenas, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy and Jiri Welsch. This team has so much promise that maybe some company might want to sponsor its no-named venue called "The Arena in Oakland."

"This is a guy we need for a long time," Jamison said of Arenas.

Arenas may be one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history as the Warriors selected him with the 32nd pick in the second round of the 2001 draft. His second-round draft status will also cause him to be one of the NBA's biggest bargains as he is making a second-year minimum salary of just over $500,000 thus making him one of the lowest-paid players. But it's that steal status that could end up hurting the Warriors in the long run.

The Warriors are currently over the salary cap and would face a dollar per dollar fine if they enter the luxury tax by paying over the cap to sign Arenas. Golden State CEO Robert Rowell has surprisingly told season-ticket holders that the franchise would go over the salary cap if need be, which could mean paying close to $3 million or more in luxury tax, to keep Arenas. But that's easier said than done. Before Golden State would go to those lengths, it will try to deal players such as Adonal Foyle or Danny Fortson to a team under the salary cap in order to gain cap space.

Web of intrigue

The scramble for Gilbert Arenas' services has already started. Web sites created by fans in the Bay Area and Denver explain why the second-year point guard should sign with their local team. Fans of the Heat, another possible player in the Arenas sweepstakes, have yet to make their case for Arenas on the internet. Why Arenas should sign with the Warriors: http://www.staygilbert.com. Why Arenas should sign with the Nuggets: http://www.gogilbert.com.

A more likely scenario would be the Warriors offering Arenas a one-year deal using their mid-level exception ($4 million range). After next season, he would then pick up his Bird Rights which would allow him to re-sign with Golden State at a much higher amount. Other possibilities aiding the Warriors: Arenas apparently isn't fond of cold weather, loves being a short plane ride from his hometown of Los Angeles and considers Warriors executive director of basketball operations Otis Smith a mentor.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, will be so far under the salary cap this summer that they could either sign two players to maximum deals or as many as three quality players to lucrative contracts. It's doubtful that Kidd or San Antonio's Tim Duncan, the two top free agents this summer, would sign with the Nuggets. But someone on the long list of free agents will want to take that money despite the Nuggets' long struggles.

With their focus on Arenas, the Nuggets could offer a contract starting around $7 million. Talk about a raise. Once free agency officially begins with negotiations on July 1, the Nuggets figure to come out strong by offering Arenas big bucks.

Also, Arenas is familiar with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, having received summer tutoring from Vandeweghe after leaving Arizona two years ago. Considering that Denver will have a high draft pick, Arenas could be playing alongside the likes of LeBron James, Darko Milicic or Carmelo Anthony. With the return of rookie stud center Nene Hilario and another top-level free agent, Arenas could lead the Nuggets back to the fastbreak basketball last seen during the Doug Moe years. The eight-year playoff hiatus would finally come to an end.

All that being said, Denver's best selling point is the ability to make Arenas instantly super rich now instead of a year from now. The Heat are expected to have interest in him, too, but it's still uncertain whether they would be able to muster enough salary cap room to go after Arenas -- if he is even a high on their priority list. So basically, the quest for Arenas will likely come down to whether money talks.

The brewing fight for Arenas between the Nuggets and Warriors is getting so strong that even the fans are getting involved.

Warriors fans developed a web site called www.staygilbert.com. It features a petition calling for Arenas to stay put and explains why Denver is a bad option and why he is loved in the Bay Area. Nuggets fans developed www.gogilbert.com, which includes the top 10 reasons why Denver is a better option, who his future teammates could be, background info on Denver and how Hilario is connected to gorgeous Brazilian women (Brazilian swimsuit competition pictures on site are a must-see).

Forget about Kidd, Duncan or GP. The most interesting free agent race could be with the young Arenas.

So what do you think about that, Gilbert?

I know, I know, go ask the PR guy.

Marc J. Spears, who covers the NBA and Denver Nuggets for the Denver Post, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.