Two months ago, Brandon Roy told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he would have to seriously consider retirement if he couldn't get healthy and return to the court by season's end. Roy hasn't appeared in a game since making those comments, but according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link), the veteran guard is holding out hope that he can play in at least one of the Timberwolves' last five games.
The fact that Roy believes he's healthy enough to return to action this season also means he's looking to continue his playing career. However, according to Bucher, Roy's contract is written in such a way that he's not sure whether he'll still be under Wolves' control — his agents at Wasserman Media Group and the players' union will examine the language of the deal more closely to determine whether he can become a free agent this summer, says Bucher.
Based on the contract details we heard from Mark Deeks of ShamSports last offseason, I would assume Roy's deal has in fact become non-guaranteed. Although the second year of the contract was initially guaranteed, it was agreed that it would become non-guaranteed if his previous knee problems resurfaced. Once that happened, the second year could only become guaranteed again if Roy played more than 1,400 minutes in 2012/13 or if he was on the active list for 65+ games — he failed to meet either benchmark.
Perhaps some specific wording in the contract raises questions, or perhaps there's some debate over whether Roy's knee issues this season were directly related to his previous injuries. Either way, I imagine the Wolves will do their best to ensure they're not on the hook for the $5.33MM owed to Roy next season, considering they reportedly explored buying him out or trading his contract earlier this year.
Roy, 28, has only appeared in five games for the Wolves since returning to the game following his 2011 retirement with the Trail Blazers.
Jesus Christ man, just retire. I know it sucks what happened but it’s pretty obvious you’re not physically able to play basketball.