Brooklyn Nets: Mitch Creek gets release from Australian club

After filing for an injunction to block the deal, the Adelaide 36ers have relented and issued Mitch Creek his release to the Brooklyn Nets.

In a dramatic 24-hour reversal, the Brooklyn Nets are free to allow Australian swingman Mitch Creek to pursue a spot with the NBA club.

The Adelaide 36ers released a statement on Thursday they had released Creek to the Nets, one day after the National Basketball League club filed an injunction in an Australian court seeking to block the release.

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Fox Sports Australia, citing a published report in The Advertiser, reported that the Adelaide 36ers had filed an injunction to stop Basketball Australia from approving any deal between Creek and the Nets.

The 36ers had been opposing the deal since it was first reported that Creek, a former 36ers captain, had agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Brooklyn Nets on July 27.

The 36ers were seeking at least $100,000 in compensation, although Fox Sports Australia cited sources saying that amount was much higher.

Creek had one year remaining on a three-year with Adelaide when he opted to use his Euro/NBA opt-out clause to sign with s.Oliver Wurzburg in Germany. But after impressing with the Dallas Mavericks in the Las Vegas Summer League, Creek earned an offer from Brooklyn.

Creek opted to trigger an NBA-out clause in his deal with Wurzburg to sign with the Nets.

The 36ers had been roundly criticized on many fronts after filing the injunction, with some theories that Adelaide took the action to discourage other players on the club from using the experience gained with the 36ers to pursue a spot in the NBA.

In their statement, the 36ers said:

"The Adelaide 36ers are pleased to advise that terms for Mitch Creek’s release to the Brooklyn Nets have now been agreed.The club has loved being a part of Mitch’s journey over the last eight years and is thrilled to have played a role in the opportunity Mitch has worked so hard for and thoroughly deserves.On behalf of the entire Adelaide 36ers family, we wish Mitch every success in the NBA and look forward to watching his progress."

That is a long, long way from “we’re filing an injunction and will sue your pants off if you agree to a release.”

It’s likely the Nets wrote a large check (figuratively, not literally like in those silly photographs) to grease the wheels and get the 36ers to back off their legal saber-rattling.

The 26-year-old Creek is not an outside shooting threat from the wing, but the 6-foot-5 swingman is hyper-aggressive going to the rim and shot 60.3 percent last season for Adelaide and in seven games with BG Goettingen in Germany’s Bundesliga.

Creek averaged 14.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals last season for Adelaide, which reached the NBL’s Grand Final. Creek was an All-NBL second-teamer for his efforts.

He was undrafted in 2014 and played last summer with the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas, where he struggled.

This year, more comfortable with the surroundings, Creek started three games for Dallas and played in five total, averaging 6.0 points and 5.2 ebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. He shot .433/0-for-6/8-for-10 for the Mavericks.

Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle was high on Creek for his work in Vegas:

.@dallasmavs coach Rick Carlisle showing some ❤️ to Mitch Creek and his @AFL-esque efforts 😂 Creek nearly catches a body followed by his trademark hustle in #NBLxNBA Summer League action 😎☀️🏀 pic.twitter.com/ZFhekjQfoA
— NBL (@NBL) July 7, 2018

Creek would bring a rugged edge to the Nets’ backcourt, something that was lacking a season ago, but it will be a question of how his slashing style fits with Brooklyn’s pace-and-space system that will determine his future with the club.

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The Exhibit 10 attachment on his contract would allow the Nets to convert it to a two-way contract, giving Creek an opportunity to adapt in the G League with the Long Island Nets while giving him 45 days with the NBA club.