Is this the NBL's next million-dollar man?

With the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season about to transition into its post-season, four of the competition’s teams will be starting to focus on the next campaign.

That pre-agency period will continue to build momentum ahead of the official tip-off on the Free Agency period in April.

While many teams have a lot of their stars locked in for next season, including Cairns and South East Melbourne recently making announcements on Jack McVeigh and Nathan Sobey, respectively, there is plenty of talent off contract ahead of the 2026-27 season.

That includes a number of high-profile locals who have been plying their trade overseas, including NBA quartet Dante Exum, Duop Reath, Alex Toohey and Luke Travers.

All four were recently waived by their respective teams during the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, meaning all are on the lookout for new homes.

While Exum (knee), Toohey (knee) and Reath (foot) are injured for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, Travers, who has spent this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charge (their G League affiliate), is searching for his next chance in the United States.

If that doesn’t eventuate, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc revealed that the door remains open for an NBL return in 2026–27.

“It [the door] is ajar right now, after Luke Travers was an unfortunate victim of a salary dump in a multi-team deal that involved Cleveland,” Uluc said on The Marketplace, presented by Paywie.

“They [Cleveland] really liked him in Cleveland, too, but he's now a free agent on the two-way market. The hope is that he finds another two-way gig for the remainder of this NBA season, and then all bets are off.

“The expectation is that he will then hunt another gig in the NBA, whether that's a two-way job, whether that's a standard job, we'll see, but that's what his goal is.

“But there are NBL teams who are out there and are ready to ask the question.

“A lot of teams asked the question in the middle of this season as well, if he was willing to come over and join them in the middle of the season, so [it seems] teams are ready to throw money at a guy like that.

“I wonder if he's the next player that’s going to cost a million dollars to drag away from the NBA, Japan and Europe.”

Speaking of Europe, that’s where the likes of Jack White (Mersin MSK - Turkey), Taran Armstrong (Dubai Basketball - United Arab Emirates) and Will McDowell-White (JL Bourg - France) are playing right now, with notable NBL alums Yanni Wetzell (Akita Northern Happinets - Japan), Keanu Pinder (Akita Northern Happinets - Japan) and Nick Kay (Shimane Susanoo Magic - Japan).

Of those six players, one name that is regularly linked back to Australia is former Sydney King and New Zealand Breaker, McDowell-White.

“The last couple of seasons, McDowell-White has been doing these sort of one-year deals in Europe and that’s something he’s enjoying,” Uluc said.

“It's almost like he's waiting for the right spot to sign a multi-year deal.

“Last off-season was an [interesting] one, as I don’t know if there was a for-sure place to sign where he thought it was a really good situation for him.

“The season prior, there probably were situations that I think were more palatable, so it now feels like he’s biding his time in Europe until the right NBL job opens up, where he can stay long-term.

“[Looking ahead] there seems to be potentially more openings where he could slot in.

“Like a local centre, if you can get an [elite] guard, then you don’t have to use an import on that spot, as I feel it’s more valuable using those spots on multi-positional players.”

Round 22 of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 tips off on Wednesday night with Tasmania hosting Illawarra from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.