andrew bogut

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will not play for the Sydney Kings or any other Australian team due to insurance issues, Bogut’s agent, David Bauman, confirmed Thursday.

Bogut had hoped to play for the Sydney team in the Australian national league (NBL). Two other teams - Adelaide and Gold Coast - also had expressed interest in signing Bogut.

Bauman said Bogut needed coverage for the $39.5 million and three years remaining on the 7-foot center’s contract with the Bucks.

“If Andrew goes back with a broken leg or a broken ankle, the Bucks might say, ‘Cancel the contract,’ ” Bauman said in a phone interview Thursday. “This is something players get, but the Bucks still might be in a position, given a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement), to terminate the deal.

“There was no way to resolve that type of issue. It was too much of a risk.”

– Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel