NBPA Filing Grievance Against Sacramento Over Mbah a Moute Contract Voiding
By Ti Windisch
The fun just doesn’t stop in Sacramento. Just a few hours into Saturday national reporter Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA for short) intends on filing a grievance against the Sacramento Kings for their voiding of Luc Mbah a Moute’s contract.
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Mbah a Moute’s camp and the NBPA assert that independent doctors have indeed determined he is uninjured and ready to play, as he did in the NBA Africa game Saturday morning. Mbah a Moute seemed to be fine during the game, although he tallied just four points, three assists and two rebounds in the contest.
This is a pretty strange story, to be honest. I highly doubt the Kings would knowingly or purposefully void a contract over medical reasons if they knew the player wasn’t injured. Although lately the jokes have been flying in at Sacramento’s expense, the Kings are by no means a shady or suspect front office or organization.
There’s no way a former player like Vlade Divac would even consider breaking league rules and treating a current player that way–it’s disrespectful and just something that’s not done. So that leads me to believe that the Kings’ doctors truly felt as though Mbah a Moute’s shoulder was a serious enough problem to void the deal.
A difference in opinion like that usually doesn’t happen, and I’m not sure what sort of consequences there will be for Sacramento if the NBA finds that they were in the wrong when they voided Mbah a Moute’s deal. The Kings do have a roster spot since placing Eric Moreland on waivers, and actually could sign up to six additional players seeing as you can roster 20 through training camp, so maybe Mbah a Moute will be brought back if he is indeed okay to play.
I find that a bit unlikely though, considering how awkward this whole thing has been so far. Filing a grievance is serious business, and if the NBPA and Mbah a Moute’s agent both feel strongly that Sacramento was in the wrong it doesn’t make the Kings’ case look very strong.
Hopefully whatever outcome there is happens quickly and cleanly. The last thing the Kings need this offseason is another ugly issue to deal with as they try to pull together around DeMarcus Cousins and bring winning basketball back to Sacramento.
Plus I think that Kings fans have gone through enough heckling this offseason. Despite Sacramento actually making some very good moves this summer under Vlade Divac, the national narrative has been nothing but jokes about the Kings being inept, and it’s even less funny the 50th time then it was at first.
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