Analysis: The Top Free Agents

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By Liam Santamaria

It has been a wild few weeks in NBL free agency as teams have been making announcements left, right and centre.

Over half of the league’s teams have revealed signings recently, with former NBA Aussies Aron Baynes and Mangok Mathiang set to enter the league, as well as a bunch of exciting new imports.

As a result, teams are starting to finalise their rosters. In fact, there are a few squads – Perth, Sydney and Tasmania – who have already filled their fully-contracted positions. For those teams, only Next Stars and Development Players remain in the equation.

One interesting element of free agency this off-season has been the large number of fresh local talents that have been signed up. By my count, there are over ten new locals who have been fully contracted this off-season with another, Corey Webster (Perth), returning to the league.

Brisbane are the leaders in that regard, with four locals – Kody Stattmann, DJ Mitchell, Gorjak Gak and Baynes – set to debut in the NBL, while the Cairns Taipans are set to introduce Sam Waardenburg, Lat Mayen and Jonah Antonio.

Other fresh faces on full contracts include Mathiang (Illawarra), Makuach Maluach (Melbourne), Dan Fotu (New Zealand) and Junior Madut (South East Melbourne).

The obvious impact of all these fresh faces, of course, is that others are getting squeezed out of the league. Some, like Emmett Naar, are opting to take their talents overseas, while others are still hoping to be picked up and/or contemplating retirement.

Here are ten of the bigger names who are currently still free agents.

Cam Bairstow
This is familiar territory for Bairstow who was one of the final guys signed last off-season when Adelaide snapped him up. The veteran power forward was outstanding across the first two months of last season, averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game. Unfortunately, injuries once again limited his ability to stay on the floor, as he was forced to sit out Adelaide’s final nine games.

The question moving forward is, does Bairstow want to keep playing? After so many consecutive seasons limited by injury, does the fire still burn to grind through another gruelling campaign? Hopefully the answer is yes, because when he’s fit and healthy the former NBA big man is one of the most skilful and productive players in the league.

Looking across the league, the 36ers appear the most obvious suitor for Bairstow if he’s keen to push on as they are looking for a local big to help round out the roster. The South East Melbourne Phoenix are another squad in the market for an Aussie/Kiwi power forward as they search for a backup for Mitch Creek.

Tad Dufelmeier Jnr
Last season was Dufelmeier Jnr’s first as a fully-contracted player in the NBL as he served as the backup PG in Adelaide.

The 26-year-old played sparingly over the first three months of the season, but saw his minutes rise across the back-half of the year. In early March, Dufelmeier was thrust into the starting lineup and the springy guard responded, producing a series of double-digit scoring performances.

Across the off-season, Dufelmeier has been pushing his claims for another NBL contract with his standout play for the Darwin Salties. Across 16 games, he is one of only three players in the NBL1 North (along with Lamar Patterson and Jack McVeigh) averaging at least 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="et" dir="ltr">Tad Dufelmeier said BOOM SHAKALAKA ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL1North?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL1North</a> live and free on <a href="https://t.co/NEk1I7BLMG">https://t.co/NEk1I7BLMG</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL1</a> App ??? <a href="https://t.co/PRyZn5P9Xw">pic.twitter.com/PRyZn5P9Xw</a></p>&mdash; NBL1 (@NBL1) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL1/status/1533048749689229312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nathan Jawai
It feels odd to say, but Nate Jawai won’t be on the Cairns roster this season. The bruising centre has been the face of the Taipans since returning to Far North Queensland six years ago but head coach Adam Forde has made it clear that he won’t be re-signed.

Currently doing his thing for Darwin in the NBL1 North, Jawai spoke recently about his desire to play on.

“There’s still a chance, I’m not calling it quits yet and I’d like to keep playing,” Jawai told media recently.

“There are a few interests out there, so I just have to get healthy first and make sure I finish this NBL1 North season off strong. I’m not closing the door on the NBL.”

As for potential suitors, the 36ers are certainly in the market for some more frontcourt depth while Illawarra is another side with roster spots available.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He won&#39;t be back with the <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a>, but <a href="https://twitter.com/Natejawai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Natejawai</a> isn&#39;t ready to give up on his NBL career and hopes to find a new home ahead of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <br><br>More at <a href="https://t.co/DvnpkELaTd">https://t.co/DvnpkELaTd</a> <a href="https://t.co/GcJUhJraUn">pic.twitter.com/GcJUhJraUn</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1549912155759476736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

AJ Ogilvy
It’s been an off-season of quiet contemplation for AJ Ogilvy thus far, as the veteran big man considers his future.

Ogilvy barely played for Illawarra last season, with his minutes dipping from 18 a game the year prior to an average of just 4. It was a drastic drop-off, especially considering how well he had played during Brian Goorjian’s first year in the ‘Gong.

A member of three All-NBL First Teams over the course of his career, Ogilvy recently turned 34 and is at that point where retirement may be a consideration.

Tim Coenraad
Illawarra Hawks legend, Tim Coenraad, is once again a free agent after completing his 13th season with the foundation club.

The man who ranks third all-time for games played for the Hawks came out of retirement midway through the 2020-21 season, before playing 26 games last season as a nominated injury replacement.

A 350-game veteran, Coenraad has shot an impressive 38.8 per cent from long range over the course of his career and has maintained that clip across the past two seasons.

One of the beautiful things about Coenraad is that he’s a one-club player in an era where such a thing is a genuine rarity. All of which begs the question: does new coach Jacob Jackomas see a role for the 37-year-old with the Hawks this season?

David Barlow
Speaking of NBL greats, David Barlow has yet to officially state his plans for the upcoming season after coming out of contract with Melbourne United.

A five-time NBL Champion, Barlow has been with United since the club re-branded back in 2014 and is one of only two guys to have played over 200 games under the United moniker.

Speaking with his club’s media crew early in the off-season, Barlow reflected on his experiences across NBL22.

“I’m very grateful for the time that I had this season with the team and the club as a whole. I’ve loved coming to work every day,” he said.

“We had brilliant moments, we had some down moments, (but) for the most part we had a great season… I’m forever grateful to be doing this with the people that we have at this club.”

Mojave King
After two years in the NBL, one with Cairns and one with Adelaide, King is currently a free agent as we progress towards the upcoming season.

The 20-year-old has spent the past few months playing for the Southland Sharks in the NZNBL where he ranks just outside the top ten for scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. King has had some big performances over there, including five outings with 25 points or more and six games with three or more made triples.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great to see former <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Adelaide?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Adelaide</a> 36er Mojave King turning it on for <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthlandSharks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SouthlandSharks</a> ????<br><br>Mojave is 2nd in scoring in the <a href="https://twitter.com/nznbl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nznbl</a> at 22ppg + 40% from the 3-pt line ? Hope we see him in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <a href="https://t.co/pVn0qrAMd3">pic.twitter.com/pVn0qrAMd3</a></p>&mdash; John Casey (@JohnCasey2880) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCasey2880/status/1541629875588476928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Matt Hodgson
Hodgson is one of the most intriguing free agents still on the market. The towering centre inked a one-year deal with the Perth Wildcats last off-season and has not yet signed a new contract anywhere for 2022-23.

Truth be told: Hodgson’s form dipped a little last season, as he scored seven points and grabbed five boards per game in the red and black. The season prior, however, he was far more productive as he put up 10 points a game for Brisbane, while posting career-high numbers for both rebounds (6.9) and blocks (1.3).

As mentioned earlier, the Adelaide 36ers a team in the market for another local big. Could we perhaps see the big fella return to the City of Churches?

Lachlan Barker
Barker has been tearing it up in the NBL1 for the last couple of years and made the most of some opportunities with South East Melbourne last season. Added to their active roster as an injury replacement player, Barker played minutes in 14 games for the Phoenix, including one as a starter.

This is a guy who can certainly score the ball. The 26-year-old usually puts up around 20 a night in the NBL1 South and had a couple of double-digit scoring nights for the Phoenix, including this 14-point performance against the eventual champs.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lachie Barker is providing a serious spark ??<br><br>In his first NBL career start, the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBL1</a> star has 10 first-half points to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> live on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> + <a href="https://twitter.com/kayosports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kayosports</a> <a href="https://t.co/GUOulMYJj5">pic.twitter.com/GUOulMYJj5</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1491701637311651842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Tohi Smith-Milner
Smith-Milner had some big moments at the FIBA Asia Cup recently, where he led New Zealand to a bronze medal finish and earned All-Star Five honours.

The former SEM forward started to warm up in the quarter finals when he hit three-of-six triples to help steer the Tall Blacks past Korea. But it was in the bronze medal match when Smith-Milner really lit it up. The 26-year-old drained seven-of-ten from long range in a blistering shooting performance, as New Zealand stormed back from 15 down to overcome Jordan.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tohi Smith-Milner went NUCLEAR in the fourth quarter, where he scored 14 of his 25 points and hit 4 of his 7 triples to power a <a href="https://twitter.com/TallBlacks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TallBlacks</a> comeback for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAAsiaCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAAsiaCup</a> bronze! ?? <a href="https://t.co/pzWTbaA2Mo">pic.twitter.com/pzWTbaA2Mo</a></p>&mdash; ? FIBA Asia Cup (@FIBAAsiaCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAAsiaCup/status/1551182281284263937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bonus: Deng Acuoth
He wasn’t on an NBL last season, but one other guy to watch as teams look to finalise their rosters is Deng Acuoth. The former Sydney and SEM big man is currently playing for Knox in the NBL1 South, where he put up 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in a narrow win over the weekend.

Acuoth, who spent last season playing in Georgia, has also been kicking butt for the South Sudanese National Team, whom he recently helped go undefeated across the first round of qualifiers for next year’s FIBA World Cup.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sunday Dech ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/DengAcuoth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DengAcuoth</a> ? <br>2.58 left in 2Q | ?? 27 ?? 30<br><br>? LIVE NOW: <a href="https://t.co/pMtdJq2cBw">https://t.co/pMtdJq2cBw</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://t.co/YZ8bNLZQpg">pic.twitter.com/YZ8bNLZQpg</a></p>&mdash; South Sudan Basketball (@SSBFed) <a href="https://twitter.com/SSBFed/status/1543319293756149765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


With a couple of teams looking to close out their rosters by signing a local big, the 6-foot-11 South Sudanese-Aussie would have to be on their radars. As mentioned above, the 36ers are a squad who are currently in that type of market while, Chris Rowbottom from ABC Hobart, has reported that Tassie are searching for an injury replacement for Will Magnay to begin the season.