Adelaide 36ers recruit Bryce Cotton has dropped on a bombshell on the NBL by revealing it was the Perth Wildcats who cut ties with him first before his shock defection to a rival club.
At a time where Cotton was controversially labelled the “Lying King” by a West Australian newspaper back page, the truth of his exit has now come to light.
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Speaking on the EasyDay Show podcastCotton revealed it was the Wildcats who opted not to wait for the superstar to re-sign – and not the star backflipping on plans to play overseas as the story was initially sold.
“As much as people feel or say why did I leave the Wildcats? I didn’t technically leave,” the three-time NBL champion and two-time MVP said.
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“The Wildcats parted ways with me because I wasn’t willing to give an answer back in March. Maybe three or four days after I came to Puerto Rico, they were like, ‘Look, we need an answer’. They sent an email: ‘We need an answer within like the next two or three days whether you’re going to sign your extension or not’. Mind you, at that point, I’m pretty sure the grand final was still going on.
“I was like, ‘Hold up … you knew all year I’ve been saying I want to test free agency’.
“Not being cocky or arrogant, but I just had one of the greatest seasons in NBL history and I’m a free agent for the first time in forever … I’d be a fool to not just see what else is out there because who knows how many more times I’m going to be a hot commodity as a free agent.”
Addressing the “crazy” and “disrespectful” back page that took aim at his integrity, Cotton didn’t mince words as he looked forward to returning to Perth in opposition colours.
“I just find it so funny … I broke the league scoring record in December. The West Australian gifts me this a** big poster (titled) King of the Jungle,” he said.
“We’re six months later now, they’re talking about I’m the “Lying King”. It’s crazy.
“When I go back to Perth, I’m burning that mother***er. That little gift they gave me? That s*** going straight to the fireplace.
“But at the end of the day it’s not surprising, and that’s part of why I moved the way I moved.”
Cotton said the Wildcats had pushed him to re-sign in March, claiming he was an “integral part” of the roster and they would need to “build it” around him before the shock call came that they were moving on.
“I’ve never been a guy that’s all about money – if that was the case I’d have left Perth a long time ago,” he said.
“I just wanted to see what was out there.
“Maybe a week later (after the email), if that, my agent sends me a screenshot of basically a rough draft copy memo that they were going to put out to the fans the following day. I didn’t even read the whole thing … all I read was basically the first sentence: ‘Bryce Cotton is not going to be part of the Wildcats’ NBL26 squad’.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, oh OK. So you all decided to move on and do what’s best for you’. To me it’s like, no harm, no foul.
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“They made the business decision to part ways because they didn’t want to wait … which is fine, but I don’t want to hear all this b*tching and complaining when I’m doing what I feel is best for me, as well as the result.
“Full disclaimer, just because a team that I played however many years for decided to do what they felt was best for them and part ways for me doesn’t mean I have to part ways with the league.”
It’s a dramatically different take on Cotton’s move to Adelaide than what had played out in recent days.
After Cotton’s stunning revelation, Wildcats owner Mark Arena then put out his own statement on the matter, confirming it was indeed the Perth side who jumped first.
“It was a horrible decision we had to make – wait longer (on Cotton’s decision) and risk the whole squad and our success, or make the hard call and move on and build a roster,” he said on NBL Now.
“We felt we certainly gave Bryce as much time as we could, and I think we probably would have been able to give more time if we didn’t have so many players out of contract. But ultimately, our role is to build a team that can win a championship.
“If you look at what we’ve done since the announcement about Bryce, we’ve re-signed Kristian Doolittle, Dylan Windler, Sunday Dech, and a number of others. They may have happened anyway, they may not have. But we really had to move on and get going on building the roster.”