Better for him to do it to her now before she inevitably does it to him four or five years down the road after he gets his big contract. She's probably shocked by this and pissed because her "future plan" isn't going to pan out and she will only get a couple hundred grand instead of tens of millions.
Let's be real for a second. Hopefully he is smart enough to not marry again until his playing days are over and he earned his money (and even then make sure to have a strong prenup). He dodged a bullet here by divorcing her before getting paid in order to protect his financial future from the fukked up legal system that basically allows theft. I understand breaking them off a piece if kids are involved, but these women getting 50% or more when they didn't lift a finger to earn a dime of it is wrong.