Xavier Henry is still waiting on a decision between his agent and the Memphis Grizzlies front office on the terms of his contract. The 12th overall pick has refused to sign a contract in which a chunk of the money comes from added performance benefits. Most, if not all NBA teams offer the full amount of money in the rookie pay scale without having to hit certain performance marks and is the reason why Henry and his agent Arn Tellem are holding out.
While Henry waits for all the details to be hammered out, he’s back at his college stomping ground in Kansas. He’s been at Allen Fieldhouse working out with former teammates and was able to take some questions from local media.
“It’s not really stressful. I just get anxious. I’m just waiting for something to happen,” Henry said Wednesday in Allen Fieldhouse. “It’s been awhile (since June 24 NBA Draft) so I’m just hoping every day something new pops up so we know where I’m at. All I can do is keep working out and getting better.”
“I’m going to let my agent handle it. He’s one of the best. I know he knows what he’s doing way more than what I do (so), I’m letting him handle it.”
Henry gave his thoughts on the contract issue and also hopes fans don’t think that he’s being some greedy athlete.
“I would hope they don’t think it’s me trying to hold out to play like I’m a stingy person or anything,” said Henry, a 6-6 guard from Oklahoma City. “The basic principle is if everybody gets what they are supposed to get, then there’s no problem. They are trying to change it a little this year (adding incentives). I respect that, so I’m just going to do what I have to do — me and my agent.”
This whole contract dispute seems ridiculous and it’s hard to see many people taking the Grizzlies’ side in this. They are offering the lowest amount possible on the rookie pay scale while nearly every team offers the highest. It doesn’t take a GM to see which side is out of the norm. Not really surprising coming from an owner who hasn’t even read the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Grizzlies have been receiving trade offers for Henry, but for now seem unlikely to deal him. We’ll just have to wait and see who budges.
For the whole article, check out KUSports.com