McDowell-White Hot Property Ahead of Free Agency

Friday, March 24, 2023

Off-contract New Zealand star Will McDowell-White set to be patient in his consideration of where he will play next season,

With off-contract New Zealand star Will McDowell-White set to be patient in his consideration of where he will play next season, his name will continue to be thrown up in NBL Free Agency discussions.

Once the star guard is ready to get down to business and make his decision though, it’s likely the Brisbane Bullets will force themselves to the front of the queue to make McDowell-White a strong offer after publicly declaring their intention to chase his signature this off-season.

McDowell-White – who is initially from Brisbane – averaged 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the Breakers over the course of the NBL23 regular season.

“The Brisbane Bullets are going all-in on Will McDowell-White,” ESPN insider Olgun Uluc said on The Marketplace. “The priority is to get that high-level point guard, whether it’s McDowell-White or an import – it’s going to be one of those two.

“If you can get that local point guard to put next to Nathan Sobey and Aron Baynes and surround them with some good local talent, then I think you have a recipe for success. If you can lock him in long-term, lock in some other really good complementary local players long-term too and all of a sudden you have a core that could make some noise over the next few years.

“It’s no surprise that target number one for the Brisbane Bullets is Will McDowell-White.”

The interest in the 24-year-old guard extends beyond just the Bullets and Breakers though.

There are a reported eight NBL sides who would be interested in signing the guard for next season, as well as global interest in his services.

The worldwide nature of the offers that could be tables to McDowell-White are why he’s going to take his time with the decision according to Uluc.

“There’s interest from across the league, there’s interest from Europe and there’s an intent to try Summer League and see if there’s a potential NBA deal on the table.” Uluc said.

“There’s no real need for McDowell-White to rush into any sort of contract.

“He’s going to head to LA and work out there and do his thing.

“He will have his options. They’re not going anywhere.”

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