Melbourne Aims to Be "Destination Club"

Melbourne United are keen to establish themselves as a “destination club” for NBA hopefuls, CEO Nick Truelson says. 

The addition of NBA talent Rayjon Tucker is the latest in a line of strong acquisitions by the side.

Tucker joins United just as Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova sealed his return to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings, while fellow United star Jack White recently agreed to terms with the Denver Nuggets. 

Truelson says he’s excited to see the increasing impact NBL stars are having in the NBA.

“As a club we’re definitely very excited for Jack White and ‘Delly’ of course. For us we really want to be seen as that destination club for players whether they’re local or overseas,” Truelson told RSN.

“You see Aron Baynes has joined Brisbane – I think we’ll start to see more of that amazing group of players we’ve got coming back here, but then on the flip side the number of kids coming through – we’ve seen Dyson Daniels, Josh Giddey (go to the NBA).

“Anything can happen and we’re excited knowing Jock Landale went to the NBA from us last year, we’ve got two [players] this year and Ariel Hukporti, our Next Star, we’re hoping to get him into the first round of the NBA Draft next year.

“There’s so much competition with Asia now and with Europe for bigger contracts, but we’re definitely seen by the NBA as a league you want to come to if you want to get back into the big show over there.”

While White’s call-up to Denver has been in the pipeline for some time, Dellavedova’s move to Sacramento came as a bit more of a surprise, with the fan-favourite heading back to the United States one season into a three-year deal.

‘Delly’ has long helped fly the flag for Australians in the NBA, famously playing a crucial role in Cleveland’s 2016 championship before moving the Milwaukee, before a second stint with the Cavaliers. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Delly has signed with the <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a> in the NBA, and as a result will depart MU.<br><br>“Playing for Melbourne has been awesome. My first year with the club was one of my most enjoyable years playing basketball.”<br><br>Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matthewdelly</a>! ?<br>Full story: <a href="https://t.co/0d6vkCtJZX">https://t.co/0d6vkCtJZX</a> <a href="https://t.co/9YMxgR7UEa">pic.twitter.com/9YMxgR7UEa</a></p>&mdash; Melbourne United (@MelbUnited) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited/status/1553157274977603585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Truelson says the nature of the NBL means clubs have to not only be prepared for situations like Dellavedova’s, but they actively aim to help players fulfil their NBA dreams.

“’Delly’ is a great example. He signed a three-year deal with us last year always with the intention of getting back for one more shot at the NBA,” Truelson said. 

“We always knew that was a possibility (leaving the club)) and as he did such a good job leading the Boomers here in their recent series that became more real. 

“We couldn’t be more thankful for what he did for the league … the fact that so many players are going over to the NBA each year, not just from Melbourne United, but other teams as well, it’s a great moment in time for the sport of basketball.”

Tucker, a highlight machine, will go a long way towards getting Melbourne fans excited for NBL23. 

The 24-year-old guard was announced as United’s newest player on Tuesday morning and is set for a starring role, alongside fellow former NBA player and new teammate Isaac Humphries.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">?? WATCH YOUR HEAD ??<br><br>Rayjon Tucker is bringing buckets, bounce and a whole lot of excitement to <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MelbUnited</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/th3flighttuck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@th3flighttuck</a> <a href="https://t.co/Lf8zVF7lng">pic.twitter.com/Lf8zVF7lng</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1554225642434347008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Truelson says Tucker is the type of player who will gets bums on seats at John Cain Arena.

“He (Tucker) is an entertainer, and when he plays it’s showtime,” Truelson said

“He's definitely been someone we’ve watched for a period of time. Dean Vickerman and I were lucky enough to go to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas a few weeks ago and we got to see Rayjon up close. Each time he played we got more and more excited at what we were seeing.

“Hats off to the NBL because the quality of players coming across to the league is super exciting. With our season starting on October 2^nd, we’ve got a few more huge signings coming up over the next week or two.”