Below is an up-to-date roster for each NBL team and a list of rumours and potential signings derived from discussions with NBL staff and media.
Players listed as contracted come from information supplied by the National Basketball League.
* = Denotes import player
** = Naturalised Australian
DP = a member of the team’s development roster
SRP = the previously named Asian player exception denoting an Asian player who qualifies as a local in the NBL.
MP = Marquee players listed as known
Click here for Aussie basketballers playing overseas
| NBL FREE AGENCY TRACKER | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | 3rd Year Player Option | |||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | #N/A | |||
| DP | ||||
| NRP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | Released Mid-Season | |||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | 2nd Year Option Declined | |||
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| NS | ||||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | Released Mid-Season | |||
| - | Mutual Release | |||
| - | ||||
| - | 2nd Year Option Declined | |||
 |
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 11 | ||||
| DP | 2nd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | #N/A | |||
| NRP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| 7 | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| IR | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| DP | ||||
| DP | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
 |
||||
3rd Year Team Option | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| 11 | ||||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | Released Mid-Season | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| DP | ||||
 |
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| 1 | 3rd Year Player Option | |||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | 3rd Year Mutual Option | |||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | 2nd Year Full Roster | |||
| 10 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 11 | ||||
| NS | ||||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | ||||
| NRP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | 2nd Year Option Declined | |||
| - | ||||
 |
||||
| - | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| NS | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| IR | ||||
| - | Released | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| IR | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | 2nd Year Option Declined | |||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | Released | |||
| - | ||||
 |
||||
| - | ||||
| 1 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| 5 | 3rd Year Mutual Option | |||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | 3rd Year Mutual Option | |||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| NS | ||||
| DP | 3rd Year Team Option | |||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| NS | ||||
| - | Released | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | ||||
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| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | 2nd Year Team Option | |||
| 9 | ||||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | 3rd Year Full Roster | |||
| DP | ||||
| DP | ||||
| NRP | ||||
| NS | Released | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | Released | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | Released Mid-Season | |||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| DP | ||||
| DP | ||||
| - | ||||
 |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
NBL salary cap information is listed below:
- The 2024/5 NBL season’s salary cap has a soft cap with teams required to spend at least $1,752,913.85 million, and a luxury tax is applied to any team whose cap exceeds $1,947,662.58 million
- Soft Cap Clarity: $1,638,237.24m salary cap is a soft cap, with teams able to spend over and above this figure. However, they will be required to contribute to the salary equalisation Subsidy Account. Funds accrued in this account will be able to be distributed to clubs that are struggling to meet the Salary Floor. To qualify for the subsidy, teams need to prove they are; doing their best to make the salary floor without the subsidy and are making an attempt not to be reliant on the subsidy on a repeating basis.
- Teams who spend over the cap are subject to a luxury tax with the rate determined by just how much over the cap they have spent:
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- 1 – 15% over : 25c on each dollar over
- 16 – 30% over : 50c on each dollar over
- 31 – 50% over : $1 on each dollar over
- > 50% over : $1.50 on each dollar over
-
- Teams must spend at least 90% of the salary cap, i.e. the ‘NBL salary floor’ (the minimum amount each team must spend on its roster) is $1,474,104.55.
- Rosters include 11 fully contracted players.
- Minimum salaries for players during the 2024-25 season are set at $74,540.23. Minimum salaries for players during the 2025-26 season are set at $79,758.05.
- Minimum salaries for development players during the 2024-25 season are set at $21,630.42.
- The aggregate salaries of at least 5 players on each team must not exceed $701,165.54. This rule is an attempt by the league to bring parity to the teams. It states that the five lowest-paid players on a roster cannot have their combined salaries add to more than 40% of the salary cap in that season. On average, the five lowest-paid players on a team are paid $131,059.
- Player values for salary cap purposes are to be assigned by the contract review committee – their values will override the salary submitted on paperwork to the NBL as a measure to police the Salary Cap and ensure players are appropriately valued.
- The salary cap in future years is determined by averaging all teams’ salary payments for the prior season.
- The combined value of the five lowest-paid players on every team cannot be more than 40% of the salary floor.
- No matter how much teams spend in a previous season, the cap must increase by a minimum of 4% and a maximum of 7% the following season.
Player Exceptions
Development Players (DP)
- Teams are allowed a maximum of 4 development players and a minimum of one. A development player must be Australian or New Zealand born, under 25 years old and never been contracted by an NBL club and registered as a development player.
- Development players’ minimum salaries are set at $18,190.
- Development players are now permitted to play in all home and away games, and the age limit has risen from 24 to 25.
Import Players (*)
Also known as Restricted Player. The player is not Australian or New Zealander.
- Maximum of three imports per team. As most negotiations are done in USD, the salary cap converts to USD at 92 cents.
Injury Replacement Players (IR)
- Should a rostered player get injured, a team has the option of either filling that spot with a development player or getting in an Injury Replacement Player to fill the injured player’s roster spot. This player’s salary is counted towards the cap for any games he plays in. Once the nominated injured player returns, the IR player must vacate his spot.
Marquee Players
A high-level Australian or New Zealander player. Teams are limited to four per team (marquees and imports players combined). Regardless of the actual player’s salary, it has a limited (fixed) impact on the team’s salary cap.
Marquee player system to apply to non-restricted (local) players only.
NBL teams are permitted a combined four imports and marquee players on the roster and only a specified component of their salaries will be counted toward the salary cap.
-
-
- Marquee player 1 salary cap hit: $233,697.34
- Marquee player 2 salary cap hit: $311,597.82
- Marquee player 3 salary cap hit: $389,496.93
- Marquee player 4 salary cap hit: $467,396.04
-
Next Stars Player Exception (NS)
- Elite prospects who chose to develop for the NBA in the 1-2 years prior to the NBA draft or post the NBA draft.
- Generally, an elite high school prospect with NBA Draft interest or a player recently drafted by an NBA team who wants to develop him in another league prior to playing in the NBA
- Players are generally signed on two-year deals.
- Next Stars are not included in the regular roster count and do not count as an import. No restrictions on nationality. Salaries do not count towards the salary cap.
Reconciliation Action Plan Player (RAP)
From the 2021-22 season onwards, the NBL funds 50% of the minimum salary for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander players signed on development player deals (approx $9,095 per Reconciliation Action Plan Player is funded by the league.
- The funding does not apply for any player signing a full NBL contract (non-development contract), but their salary (like the special restriction player) does not count towards the team’s salary cap.
- Should they re-sign a second contract, 50% of the salary will be counted towards the cap.
- Additionally, in respect of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players engaged by NBL Clubs as rostered players:
-
- 0% of their salary will count towards the salary cap for the duration of their first contract term; and
- 50% of the salary will count towards the salary cap for the duration of their second contract term.
-
Special Restriction Player (Former Asian Player Exception)
The Special Restricted Player rule encourages teams to sign talent from a number of Asian countries — Japan, China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Singapore — as a non-restricted player, with the added incentive that the contract doesn’t hit the cap at all.
- Countries eligible include China, the Philippines, Taiwan, India, South Korea, Singapore and Japan.
- Players are considered local players, and their contracts are not counted toward the team’s salary cap.
- With this exemption classifying them as a local player, they can also be listed as a marquee player and gain a salary cap exemption for their salary.
- This makes them very attractive to teams who want to spend more on their roster but have limited cap space. The system is designed to attract players from ‘large viewership markets’ in the geographic region in order to promote the league internationally.
Team/Player/Mutual Options
On signing a multi-year contract, stipulations can be added to additional seasons which give either the team or player control over whether that contract is continued in the future.
- Player option = The player can decide whether or not to return on the agreed contract terms
- Team option = The team will decide if the player returns on the agreed contract terms i.e. typically, a player option will be added to entice a player to sign with their club by essentially giving them control over future commitments.
- A mutual option requires both the team and the player to opt into that year of the deal.
Contract Length: The maximum contract length in the NBL is 3 years
Salary Note: A team’s actual player salary total is not what is counted towards each team’s salary-cap figure. The NBL independently reviews each full roster salary and assigns a value to each player based on what they deem the ‘market value’ of that player to be. This is the actual value counted towards a team’s cap. Often the independent review simply matches what the team has agreed to pay the player, but the panel of reviewers have been known to override with amounts fluctuating by $100k in either direction.
This means that if a team decides to ‘over-pay’ for a player, they can do so, with the benefit being the additional monies spent will count towards the cap. On the contrary – a player that agrees to sign with a team at a very low rate will have their market value counted towards the team’s cap, not their salary.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
2 Responses to the post:
Just wondering, you have Zylan Cheatham as a F/C, yet he is 6ft 5 and Luca Yates for the Hawks is 6ft 10 but you have him as a small forward. You are doing a great job other than that.
Thanks John, some of the player data wasn’t pulling through from the player profiles correctly, we’ve fixed this now. Thanks for pointing that out.