NBL 2025-26 season preview: Club-by-club breakdown of major roster changes, key players and predicted finishes

ILLAWARRA HAWKS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: Champions KEY ADDITIONS: JaVale McGee, JaQuori McLaughlin, Jonah Bolden KEY DEPARTURES: Trey Kell, Lachlan Olbrich, Darius Days The small-market Hawks were the NBL’s feel-good story of last summer, slaying the league’s goliath in Melbourne to snare their first title in almost a quarter of a century. But Justin Tatum’s crew is likely to find things tougher this season with a target on their backs as champions and minus a key part of their success in Sam Froling for much of the campaign. The frontcourt star will be sidelined until at least January after suffering an Achilles injury in last season’s grand final series, leaving a hole in the paint that the Hawks will be hoping can be filled by NBA-experienced duo McGee and Bolden. The former is a big unknown for this campaign. McGee is one of the most accomplished players to step foot on an NBL court, with a resume that boasts three NBA championship rings and a gold medal as part of the US Olympic team in Tokyo. But as he gets set to turn 38 during the season, there’ll be question marks over just how much a player who has relied on amazing athleticism has left in the tank at an elite level. The Hawks are banking on internal improvement from Will Hickey, and it’s a bet that they’re likely to win given the point guard’s remarkable rise in recent years. Hickey will go from the team’s sixth man to having the keys to the offence as the starting floor general, and with an off-season stint with the Australian national side under his belt, he’s equipped to meet the challenge. As Illawarra see fellow key pieces in Tyler Harvey and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk return, they’re destined to return to the playoffs – but it’s always a different type of challenge being the hunted rather than the hunter. PREDICTED FINISH: 4th MELBOURNE UNITED LAST YEAR’S FINISH: Runner-up KEY ADDITIONS: Milton Doyle, Jesse Edwards, Tyson Walker KEY DEPARTURES: Matthew Dellavedova, Jack White, Ian Clark United have lost a swag of experienced top-level talent. Dellavedova, White and Clark all own NBA championship rings and were all a part of Melbourne’s closing unit as they came within a whisker of last season’s NBL title, but none will be a part of a new-look core for the perennial contender. Veteran sharpshooter Chris Goulding’s long association with the franchise continues, with fresh faces in Doyle, Edwards, Walker and Finn Delany to join him in the starting five. Prolific scorer Doyle makes the trip across the Bass Strait after being a key piece of Tasmania’s fairytale title a couple of seasons ago, while defensive-minded seven-footer Edwards will anchor the paint. It’s dangerous to count out Dean Vickerman’s squad, but they appear a little undersized and likely to be fighting for a middle-tier playoff berth rather than seriously contending for a title unless there’s a mid-season roster injection looming. PREDICTED FINISH: 5th PERTH WILDCATS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 3rd KEY ADDITIONS: Jo Lual-Acuil, Mason Jones, Sunday Dech KEY DEPARTURES: Bryce Cotton, Keanu Pinder, Tai Webster Cotton’s shift to Adelaide was one of the biggest moves in league history, and leaves the Wildcats searching for a new identity without their long-time franchise player. Jones can go some way to filling that void, with the US guard’s superb two-way G-League play likely to translate well to the NBL. Lual-Acuil is a massive signing as a local frontcourt star and Dech’s hard-nosed defence will be crucial in helping curtail the league’s best guards, but the biggest strength for Perth could be the familiarity among its core rotation pieces. Import duo Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler return and will be looking to level up after both played key roles in the Wildcats’ run to within one win of last season’s grand final series, while Ben Henshall is also back after contemplating a US move and has plenty of improvement in him at the age of just 21. PREDICTED FINISH: 3rd SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 4th KEY ADDITIONS: Vrenz Bleijenberg, Hunter Maldonado, John Brown KEY DEPARTURES: Matt Hurt, Derrick Walton Jr, Joe Wieskamp Coach Josh King gets his first chance to have a full off-season in charge, having taken over in the early stages of last campaign, and the Phoenix have swung the changes in the import department. All-NBL First Team forward Hurt is the biggest loss as all three overseas players make way. Bleijenberg, Maldonado and Brown are the import additions, but South East Melbourne will need a return to top form from experienced local pair Nathan Sobey and Jordan Hunter if they’re going to make noise this summer. A wildcard looms in Malique Lewis, who is back for a second season as a designated Next Star player after falling short of realising his NBA draft dream. The 20-year-old is on an upward trajectory and could be ready to become a difference maker as he looks to build on an encouraging debut season Down Under. PREDICTED FINISH: 9th ADELAIDE 36ERS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 5th KEY ADDITIONS: Bryce Cotton, Zylan Cheatham, Flynn Cameron KEY DEPARTURES: Kendric Davis, Sunday Dech, Jarell Martin The undisputed team to beat. Recruiting five-time MVP Cotton gives any team automatic contender status, but the Sixers have gone all-in on ending their 24-year championship drought by bringing back star big man Montrezl Harrell and sniper DJ Vasiljevic to form the league’s most deadly ‘Big Three’. Import Cheatham has familiarity with the NBL, having previously played with the Breakers, while Cameron is an under-the-radar signing as an improving guard that add plenty of punch off the bench. Locker-room leader Isaac Humphries also returns, with the centre hoping to build on his synergy with Harrell if coach Mike Wells wants to deploy bigger line-ups. The expectations are sky-high, but that hasn’t always equated with success in the City of Churches. Cotton is this franchise’s best chance of putting a painful past in the rear-view mirror. PREDICTED FINISH: Champions SYDNEY KINGS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 6th KEY ADDITIONS: Kendric Davis, Matthew Dellavedova, Tim Soares KEY DEPARTURES: Jaylen Adams, Alex Toohey, Cam Oliver This Kings offence is going to hum. Pairing Davis and Dellavedova in the backcourt was a huge off-season move, with the league’s two assist leaders from last season joining forces in the Harbour City. Throw in the coaching acumen of Brian Goorjian and there’s reason to believe Sydney will be finding plenty of good looks when they call out plays this summer. Former league MVP Xavier Cooks will have to do some heavy lifting in the frontcourt – and is more than up to the task – after an ACL injury to Keli Leaupepe in the pre-season. Expect the Kings to make a roster move in the opening weeks of the campaign to help cover that loss. Sydney’s depth is again impressive, with Bul Kuol, Jaylin Galloway and walking bucket Kouat Noi all returning as they look to respond following a disappointing campaign last season. There’ll be plenty who have faith in Goorjian finding a way to make that happen. PREDICTED FINISH: Runner-up TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 7th KEY ADDITIONS: David Johnson, Josh Bannan, Tyger Campbell KEY DEPARTURES: Milton Doyle, Jordon Crawford, Clint Steindl The sad teardown of the team that won an underdog championship barely 18 months ago continues, with only three key members of that group – Will Magnay, Anthony Drmic and Majok Deng – returning in green this season. Doyle and Fabijan Krslovic have joined Melbourne, Crawford has gone to Turkey, heart-and-soul captain Steindl has retired, and Sean MacDonald’s season is over before it began due to an ACL injury. The bulk movement leaves Tassie as somewhat of an unknown entering this campaign, with well-respected coach Scott Roth charged with finding synergy and success out of what will be an almost entirely different starting five. Bannan arrives from Brisbane to join Magnay in a hard-nosed frontcourt, while we wait to see whether the import trio led by former Toronto Raptors fringe guard Johnson can fire. PREDICTED FINISH: 7th BRISBANE BULLETS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 8th KEY ADDITIONS: Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jaylen Adams, Alex Ducas KEY DEPARTURES: Josh Bannan, James Batemon, Keandre Cook A new coach and some big-name additions are what long-suffering Bullets fans will be the catalyst to a rise back into contention. Stu Lash takes over from Justin Schueller as coach, having been the club’s senior basketball adviser in previous seasons, and has increased firepower at his disposals. Freeman-Liberty appears to be among the cream of this year’s incoming crop of imports, with the dynamic scorer teaming up with former NBL MVP Adams after his move from the Kings. Geraldton product Ducas joins the league fresh off winning an NBA title as a reserve with Oklahoma City, and will be keen for the opportunity to show he can be a big fish in a smaller basketball pond. Hard-nosed defender Sam McDaniel looms as virtually a new recruit, having missed the bulk of last season with a dislocated shoulder. There’s enough talent and winning pedigree here to suggest a playoff berth is well within reach. PREDICTED FINISH: 6th NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 9th KEY ADDITIONS: Izaiah Brockington, Robert Baker, Izayah Le’afa KEY DEPARTURES: Matt Mooney, Jonah Bolden, Tacko Fall The Breakers are going back to their roots, with a New Zealand ownership group taking over from the previous US-led consortium. And it appears they’re keen to bring in as many locals as possible on the court. Kiwi quartet Le’afa, Reuben Te Rangi, Rob Loe and Taylor Britt all join the club having logged NBL experience with Australian teams. They’ll be looking to carve out roles around a star-studded import backcourt that will likely have to do most of the heavy lifting for this squad. American ace Parker Jackson-Cartwright returns after an impressive 2024-25 campaign, and he’s joined by Brockington, who was named MVP of the NBL’s mini pre-season tournament in an encouraging sign. But the Breakers don’t appear to have the depth of the league’s top sides and could again find themselves facing an uphill battle to escape the lower portion of the standings. PREDICTED FINISH: 10th CAIRNS TAIPANS LAST YEAR’S FINISH: 10th KEY ADDITIONS: Jack McVeigh, Admiral Schofield, Ashton Hagans KEY DEPARTURES: Taran Armstrong, Rob Edwards, Tanner Groves McVeigh gives the Taipans some local star power that the small-market franchise has sorely lacked in recent times. The Boomers forward returns to the NBL following his NBA breakthrough stint with Houston last season, and looms large among the best Aussie players in the league this season. Schofield is a mature-age import forward who looks destined to be able to have an immediate impact, while the new backcourt pairing of Hagans and developing Aussie Reyne Smith is untested. The likes of Sam Waardenburg, Kyle Adnam and Marcus Lee all bring valuable NBL experience as supporting role players. Coach Adam Forde has more to work with this season than last, but it’s still hard to make a case for the Snakes as any sort of genuine contender. PREDICTED FINISH: 8th