Danny Manning says he will continue to hold out until he gets a contract from the Los Angeles Clippers that pays the full amount up front.
The NBA's No. 1 draft pick, who last week rejected a 5-year, $10 million contract, said Monday night in an interview with KNBC-TV that he remains unhappy that the Clippers want to defer 30 percent of each year's salary.That would make the cash value of the contract a little more than $1 million a year, Manning said from Cincinnati.
"And right now that's not the going rate and that's not what the previous No. 1 pick's gotten in deferred money. They've all received cash deals," Manning said.
"A lot of times in the past the Clippers have had players who had money deferred, and the players have had some trouble in getting their money," Manning said. "I don't want to run into those problems. I'd just like my money up front."
Clippers officials could not be reached for comment.
Manning, whose agent is Ron Grinker of Cincinnati, said the amount of deferred money was supposed to be negotiable, "but they told us they want to leave it at 30 percent, which is the maximum amount of money you can defer."
If the Clippers won't budge, "I'll just have to sit and hold out," Manning said.
Grinker and Manning have said they wanted a four-year contract at $2.2 million a year.