Pinder set to leave Perth?

A cryptic Instagram post from Keanu Pinder has many wondering whether the star big man has played his last game for the Perth Wildcats.

“It does seem like he is set for a different situation,” Pete Hooley said on NBL Overtime.

Pinder who is currently playing for Shanxi in China, posted a series of pictures on March 12 from his time in Perth with a caption reading, “Perth City showed love ... will always be missed!”.

“He went back to Perth and probably didn’t have the success individually that he had at Cairns,” Hooley added.

The two-time Most Improved Player averaged just under 16 points to go with 6 rebounds in 22 minutes of action.

“He had times where he looked like the Keanu Pinder of old,” Hooley said.

“He will no doubt attract big offers from Asian leagues too, which is well deserved.”

The Instagram post caught the attention of the Red Army, who were quick to speculate that their star big man and likely free agent was on the move.

“Yeah, he’s out,” NBL champion Damon Lowery said.

“I’m not surprised either, because all season I’m saying why is he only playing 22 minutes a game? How come he is coming off the bench? It’s always something.”

After arriving at Perth following two very successful seasons in Cairns, Pinder showed flashes of his very best for the Wildcats, but found himself in and out of the rotation throughout the season.

“We talk about the player-coach relationship with John Rillie, it isn’t great, because if it was then he wouldn’t be putting up an Instagram post like that,” Lowery noted.

While a move away from the Wildcats looks likely, Hooley believes Pinder’s best is yet to come.

“We all know what he’s capable of and I’d love to see him get back to that level wherever he ends up,” Hooley said.