Bogut to take break from basketball amid coronavirus uncertainty

Andrew Bogut is not retiring, but he won't be re-signing with the Sydney Kings when NBL free agency begins.

Bogut on Monday cited the uncertainty surrounding sporting competitions around the world as his reason not to re-sign with the Kings, nor any franchise in the NBL or elsewhere.

The former NBA champion took to social media shortly before midday to inform followers of his decision, stressing that the post was "not a retirement note".

He said he was giving the NBL side time to "act accordingly" ahead of free agency beginning on July 1.

"I have decided not to sign with the Sydney Kings, or any professional sporting team for that matter for the time being," Bogut wrote.

"This by no means is a retirement note, but simply saying any concrete decisions are too hard to be made at this point in time.

"The reason I have decided to do this now is to give the Sydney Kings enough notice to act accordingly with free agency being around the corner."

The 35-year-old said he was enjoying the extra time with family during lockdown and that would remain his immediate priority.

Bogut did not specify whether he had ruled out rejoining the Kings at a later date, but it will be hard for the club to avoid chasing a new centre to fill his role, especially with the NBL salaries being reduced next season and import numbers being cut from three to two per team.

Bogut returned to the NBL in April 2018 and was named league MVP in a season where the Kings were bounced out of the semi-finals by Melbourne United. He returned to the NBA with Golden State, where he won his sole American ring in 2015, at the conclusion of the Antipodean season.

Bogut still has the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in his sights but has made it clear he could retire if he isn’t convinced his body will hold up until next July.

Earlier this month Kings star Casper Ware was one of five high-profile players to exercise their right to opt out of their contracts.

"My agent and I will still be in talks with the Kings and if the financial situation changes then we may be able to make something work in the future," the American point guard said at the time.

"I want to thank the Sydney Kings organisation, my teammates, coaches and the great city of Sydney for always having our backs this season.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't get to finish the season the way we wanted and bring the trophy back to Sydney."

The NBL finals were halted due to the worsening pandemic and the Perth Wildcats controversially declared champions with the West Australians up 2-1 after March 15's game three.