One in, one out for United?

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

A Melbourne United star’s NBA opportunity could be just around the corner.

It’s been a long and patient wait for Luke Travers since he was drafted with the 56th overall pick at the 2022 NBA Draft, but the Melbourne United star’s opportunity could be just around the corner.

Travers has now spent five seasons playing at a professional level in the NBL, with Perth and Melbourne, but at just 22, he’s still young when it comes to making an official move to the NBA.

ESPN’s Olgun Uluc is reporting that chance is edging closer by the day.

“The smoke still seems to be blowing towards Luke Travers finding a spot in the NBA with the Cavaliers in some regard,” Uluc said on The Marketplace.

Travers impressed at the NBA’s Summer League for third season in a row, showing he has the tools to cut it, should a roster spot present.

“He had a hamstring injury in the first game, he sat out that, and then pushed through the last four games,” NBL Media’s Peter Hooley added.

“He did what he had to do. He fills the stat sheet up.

“Those strong talks haven’t died down on him getting some sort of deal with the Cavaliers, so you think that would happen sooner rather than later and it would be well deserved.”

While United could be set to lose one of their stars, slotting Jack White into the starting five would be a huge win.

“… Jack White, the smoke is more and more that he’s going to stay with Melbourne United,” Uluc said.

“The main question was whether Jack White was going to find a deal, and him not making that Olympic team makes it very difficult for him to really show off what he can do and get that two-way deal.

“It seems like it’s going to be Luke Travers out, we’ll see what transpires, but it still feels like that’s going to be the case … Travers out, Jack White in.”

United boasts one of the most talented lineups in the league, with the likes of Shea Ili, Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova and Ian Clark back to improve on last year’s mantle as runners-up.

The club will be sweating on the availability of both Travers and White, with pre-season games just a matter of weeks away.