Adelaide 36ers file injunction to stop Mitch Creek’s NBA clearance without compensation
ADELAIDE 36ers lawyers have filed an injunction to stop Basketball Australia from approving a clearance for its reigning MVP Mitch Creek to move to NBA team Brooklyn without adequate compensation.
ADELAIDE 36ers lawyers have filed an injunction to stop Basketball Australia from approving a clearance for its reigning MVP Mitch Creek to move to NBA team Brooklyn without adequate compensation.
The injunction was heard on Monday and Creek was at 36ers training on Tuesday with the club hopeful the matter will be resolved within 24 hours.
Creek plans to join the Brooklyn Nets on a training agreement in coming weeks and goes with Adelaide’s blessing but the club is demanding at least $100,000 in compensation if he is added to its roster for next season.
Creek had one year of a three-year deal left to run with the 36ers in the 2018-19 season but triggered his European/NBA out clause to join a top-level German club.
But that club last month announced Creek’s departure before the NBL website revealed he was set to join Brooklyn in the US after impressing at NBA summer league with Dallas.
“We are ensuring in the event that he gets a spot on the final roster that there is some sort of compensation (for Adelaide),” 36ers chief executive Ben Kavenagh told The Advertiser.
“Hopefully that will be resolved in the next 24 hours, it’s a due diligence procedure.”
Creek’s management could not be contacted on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old trained with the Sixers on Tuesday and remains close with his teammates and coaches as import Ramone Moore arrived from the US for a second consecutive year with the team.
“I saw Creeky in Vegas I went to a game or two and went out for dinner with him, we hate to lose him because he was such a big part of our team but for him to want to chase his NBA career I’m happy for him,” Moore said.
“He’s got the trial with the Brooklyn Nets so hopefully he can get an NBA team.”
Moore said it was an easy decision to return to the NBL with Adelaide this season.
“We were one game away from winning a championship and I expressed that I wanted to come back, it was an easy decision for me,” Moore said.
“Joey, the team, the city, everyone who works with the team made it comfortable for me.
“Coming back here to play with my teammates and Joey, we’re all used to each other.
“Speaking to Joey I’ll have a bigger role this year, it’s something I’m ready for.”
The Adelaide 36ers are set to finalise their roster this week by adding a third import understood to be point guard Adris De Leon.
He joins Moore and big-man Jacob Wiley who played NBA with Brooklyn last year and arrived for the start of pre-season training this week.
reece.homfray@news.com.au