New Orleans and Philadelphia have agreed to extend until Monday the deadline to complete a physical on center Steven Hunter, who was part of a trade from the 76ers to the Hornets earlier this week.
Hunter took a physical Friday after arriving in Oklahoma City. Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said the teams agreed to extend the deadline to complete the trade from noon Saturday until 5 p.m. EST Monday so the Hornets could further analyze results of the exam.
"The reason for that is we're still waiting on all the information from his physical to be evaluated and looked at closely," Bower said Saturday.
Bower disputed a report that Hunter had failed the physical.
"We haven't made a decision on the physical. We haven't failed him. The doctors haven't failed him on his physical," Bower said. "But we are looking at the results of his physical very closely."
The 76ers traded Hunter, a 7-foot center, to the Hornets along with cash in exchange for second-round draft picks in 2006 and 2007. Hunter, a fifth-year NBA veteran, was averaging 4.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 35 games with the 76ers this season.
Sixers assistant GM Tony DiLeo said "doctors are still talking, that's the holdup."
Hunter, 24, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2002 and missed 39 games while recovering from surgery. Citing medical privacy, Bower wouldn't say whether the knee or any other specific injury was the holdup in Hunter's physical, which he said was the only thing preventing the trade's completion.
"There were certain things that we had concerns about that we wanted to take a close look at, given the age of the player," Bower said. "We're looking at him over a long term. We want to make sure. We had some concerns or questions that we wanted answered, and that's what we're still searching for are the answers."