Adelaide chases star signing

The Adelaide 36ers are building something ahead of NBL25, and a fan favourite could be set to return to the club next season.

Adelaide has already announced the re-signing of head coach Scott Ninnis and star center Isaac Humphries since the close of its regular season, but star guard DJ Vasiljevic has revealed the club has been in discussions with Antonius Cleveland surrounding a return for NBL25.

Cleveland spent two seasons in the NBL prior to departing for Israel on the eve of NBL24. He was named the competition’s Best Defensive Player and earned a place in the All-NBL First Team in his debut season with Illawarra, and added a second consecutive Best Defensive Player award in the following season as a member of the 36ers.

“There’s an opportunity for ‘AC’ to come back,” Vasiljevic told NBL Media. “That’s a guy we’ve been talking to in the past few weeks.

“We’ll see what the movements are because there’s interest on both ends. You never know, we might see Antonius Cleveland back in a 36ers jersey.”

Vasiljevic starred for Adelaide in his first season in a 36ers jersey, and was named the club’s Members’ Choice MVP in NBL24.

He says both he and Isaac Humphries are looking to utilise their connections in both Australian and international basketball ahead of the club’s impending roster build for next season.

“The ownership group told me that when I re-signed, whatever decision was made they would check in with me first. I have regular phone calls with Grant Kelley and Nic Barbato about who we could get,” he said.

“I spent a whole week with Isaac in the Boomers window just pushing him to sign. I was telling him this was the place where he can thrive to be the best big in the league – he wasn’t paying much attention because he’s so busy and has so much off-court stuff going on, but I was being a pest in his ear.

“We’ve had a great friendship over 12 or 13 years, and now we’re saying ‘who else can we get?’. I’ll name somebody and he’ll say ‘I know that guy, I’ll reach out to him’. We’re all working together with myself, Isaac, the front office and ownership, and we’re asking a few players what it would take for them to join Adelaide, or if they have interest in coming here.

“We’re exploring the market through our own connections.”