CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No hard feelings. We’ll talk again next summer.

That’s the message point guard Raymond Felton sent the Charlotte Bobcats by signing a one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer days before Tuesday’s start of training camp.
Signing that qualifier acknowledged what’s been building for months; that the Bobcats and Felton weren’t close on a long-term contract. By signing this deal, Felton starts the process of becoming an unrestricted free agent in July 2010.
But his agent, Kevin Bradbury, was adamant Wednesday that Felton’s preference remains staying with the Bobcats for the long haul.
“Everybody understands the (financial) climate — what the Bobcats are going through right now,” Bradbury said, referring to the millions the team is losing annually. Felton “wants to be part of something — he believes the team had good momentum last season and can be a playoff team. He’s purely focused on his loyalty to the Bobcats and to coach Larry Brown.”
Felton couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday, but he also said throughout the summer that he wants to remain in the Carolinas, where he’s always lived.
Bradbury said Felton signing the qualifier, rather than let an impasse stretch into camp, was Felton doing what’s best for the team.
“He doesn’t want to be a distraction. He doesn’t want this to get in the way” of the season, Bradbury said. “This summer we were dealing in business, and now he wants to turn to the business of basketball.”
Despite his unresolved contract status, Felton was a regular in pick-up games at the Bobcats’ training facility during the past few weeks and played in North Carolina’s alumni game this month.
Felton was the fifth pick in the 2005 draft, chosen behind center Andrew Bogut, forward Marvin Williams and point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul. All four of those players have signed lucrative, multi year extensions.
While Felton isn’t in Paul’s or Deron Williams’ class — he’s a career 40 percent shooter from the field — Brown and Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan both applauded the improvement Felton made throughout last season.
As Jordan said on draft night in late June, “I definitely want to keep him. I anticipate us keeping Raymond, without a doubt.”
They’ll be in greater jeopardy of losing him next summer, assuming Felton has another strong season. Although the rules still would favor the Bobcats, allowing them to offer Felton larger annual raises, the team no longer would be guaranteed the right to match another team’s offer.
If that happened, the Bobcats could lose both of their 2005 lottery picks — Felton and Sean May — without compensation.