"A bit of a pickle": Wildcats face crucial calls

While the dust settles on the Bryce Cotton departure from Perth, all the attention shifts towards their next off-season move.

“I’m a little bit worried for Perth at this stage,” Brad Rosen said on NBL Marketplace.

“I’m a little bit worried, because I’m not sure where they’re going to go right now.”

The Wildcats have made some strong moves since NBL25 ended, locking in star imports Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler on multi-year deals. They also bolstered their defensive depth, adding Sunday Dech and Lat Mayen on the wings.

Now the attention turns to the important pieces left to be filled.

“I love what they’ve got with the Doolittle situation and bringing in the pieces, but those pieces worked outstandingly with a Bryce Cotton,” Rosen added.

“Now I’m not sure what’s going to happen, and they’ve only got one import spot left.

“Where do they go for that big? Or if they go small, then who is your big?”

Former league MVP Derek Rucker echoes Rosen’s concerns about the next and most crucial addition for the Wildcats.

“It’s tough,” he said.

“Because if you do go for the big import, getting back to the predicament that you described earlier, now you’re hurting out on the perimeter.

“I think they really need some perimeter scoring.”

With two key import spots locked away, the Wildcats have been vocal about adding one more, with a marquee local to round out their starting unit.

“They’re in a little bit of a pickle,” Rucker added.

“For me, I would’ve tried to work it out with Keanu Pinder. I think this is going to be, not as big a loss as Bryce Cotton is to the Wildcats, but Pinder is going to be one of the biggest losses throughout the league to any one club.”

While the potential names from a local level get shorter, with the likes of Jo Lual-Acuil reportedly exploring overseas again and not returning to the NBL, Rucker still has faith in Perth’s recruitment.

“They have player resources. They’re one of the blue-chip franchises in Australian sport. They’ve got a great fan base. They’ve got so many resources out there, and they’ve got ambitious and very driven and motivated owners,” he said.

“Even though it looks skinny right now in terms of the recruiting success, things can change very quickly.”