Pinder Labelled "Number One Guy" in Upcoming Free Agency

Two local names are set to dominate the NBL free agency market in the coming weeks – New Zealand’s Will McDowell-White and Cairns’ back-to-back Most Improved Player winner Keanu Pinder.

Pinder was putting an MVP calibre season together in NBL23 before his back half of the campaign was blighted by injuries, and although he missed his side’s exceptional run to the Playoff Series against the Kings he’s hammered home the fact he’s now one of the premier bigs in the competition.

Across his 19 appearances in NBL23 he averaged 16.9 points at 50 per cent from the field, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

He’s taken his talents to Spain in the off-season with Fuenlabrada, and recently racked up 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in just 22 minutes of action on debut.

“If I was a Taipans fan, I could have the unrealistic hope that he’s making extra money now so he’ll take less money next season,” former NBL MVP Derek Rucker said on The Marketplace. “That is not going to happen.

“In fact, I think it’s going to take a lot of money just to keep him in the competition.”

The Taipans finished above most of the traditional powerhouses of the NBL this season, and Rucker believes those sides should be readying pitches to make to the Cairns star.

“Now that Xavier Cooks is leaving, Keanu becomes that number one guy in the Australian market and I would think the big clubs would be going after him big time,” he said.

“I think it would be great for Perth to get a hold of him, Melbourne United, any team could benefit from him but it’s a matter of what’s available in that salary cap.”

Should Cairns manage to keep hold of Pinder, the next questions to arise surround whether they can keep their other star free agents – namely DJ Hogg, Shannon Scott and Bul Kuol – and who they sign to allow them to get the best out of their star centre.

Pinder bore the brunt of the crash-and-bash, physical work across the recent campaign, with stretch bigs Majok Deng, Sam Waardenburg and Hogg to back him up.

Rucker believes the Taipans would need to target another big body in the paint to help Pinder.

“I think they need a big, tough, athletic big – even if they’re able to retain Pinder – to play with him,” he said.

“I think an athletic guy that could take the physical pressure day-to-day, game-to-game, off of Keanu would go a long way towards helping their program.”

NBL free agency opens on March 30, with all team, player and mutual options needing to be confirmed by March 27.