The story at the time was the Blazers approached Dame with the contract and he made them commit to getting better before he agreed to sign. In other words, (allegedly) he didn't demand the extension and so he could force his way out later (like how Stephen Jackson jerked the Warriors).
This is why it's always better to walk the walk than talk the talk. Very few NBA players (ahem, Lebron, Durant) understand this wisdom. Everyone tries to talk and drive the narrative and it almost always blows up on them.
I find Lebron much smarter than Durant, dude got himself 2 rings and then made himself a hero by bringing 1 to Cleveland.....then went to LA to be a movie producer. Durant's hometown club would be the Wizards and they are not making one dent.... This has not been done much in history. The Hometown hero so soon.
I'm thankful for NBA TV. Watching the last 2 mins last night was great. Kings choked like dogs in the last 20 seconds, Monk went 0/2 and Fox went 1/2 from the line. Dame never should have had the chance. Leave the door open for a guy like him and he'll kill you.