NBL yet to clear Bogut’s contract

BASKETBALL THE Sydney Kings have been forced to delay confirmation of Andrew Bogut’s landmark deal after defying NBL protocol by announcing the contract before gaining league approval.

As per standard procedure in most Australian professional sports, clubs require authorisation from the league before they can make a formal declaration.

But to avoid the Bogut news being leaked, the Kings decided to report the news on the club’s twitter account on Sunday night.

Sydney officials also sent a group email confirming the former NBA big man’s looming signing at 8pm on Sunday.

These moves proved problematic because the contract still required NBL clearance to become official.

Bogut’s signed and agreed multi-year deal was lodged with the NBL on Sunday night and was set to be confirmed by the Kings yesterday morning.

However, the NBL told all parties no contract can be ratified until head office provide a clearance on the deal’s conditions and the salary cap.

Despite this delay, the Bogut deal is set to be given the green light in the coming days.

Sydney officials tweeted a short statement yesterday.

“In line with player contracting procedures, the Sydney Kings have submitted to NBL head office appropriate paperwork for Andrew Bogut for review and processing.

“The Kings will make no further comment but will provide an update in due course.”

The NBL also tweeted yesterday SIGNED: Andrew Bogut. that they had received Sydney’s contract for Bogut and were following the competition’s formal process before giving the deal the green light.

“The NBL has received paperwork from the Sydney Kings for Andrew Bogut. We are following the Standard Player Contract process as we do for all players,” they said.

Regardless, Bogut’s deal is a major coup for Sydney and a resurgent NBL competition.

His signature is just what the Kings need after finishing seventh last season with 11 wins from 28 games costing them a trip to the finals for the fifth consecutive year.

Bogut also held “preliminary discussions” with Melbourne, who were keen to lure the ex-NBA big man home.

United general manager Vince Crivelli confirmed the talks, but said the club had no hard feelings towards Bogut.

Bogut’s Sydney deal is expected to be approved by the NBL in the coming days, opening the door for the Kings to release a statement and hold a press conference.

Meanwhile, former Perth Wildcat Lucas Walker has signed with the Cairns Taipans. Walker averaged eight points and five rebounds per game last season.