REPORT: Five-time Olympian sweepstakes heating up

The momentum around Joe Ingles’ return to the Hungry Jack’s NBL continues to build, with three teams vying for his services.

As reported by the NBL’s Pete Hooley, Ingles, after 12 seasons playing in the NBA, is considering a return to the NBL.

While his hometown Adelaide 36ers are pushing hard, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc, it appears the two Melbourne franchises, United and the Phoenix, are the front-runners for the 38-year-old.

“I get a growing sense that this [Ingles return] is probably going to happen,” Uluc said on The Marketplace, presented by Paywise.

“From what I've been told, Melbourne United has put forward a new offer for Joe Ingles.

“Ingles, of course, is still in the midst of the NBA Playoffs, as he's still playing for the Timberwolves.

“But United has expressed a renewed interest in Joe Ingles, and there is still interest from the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

“There is some mutual interest there, so from what I understand, Ingles is open to either Melbourne team. That's what it looks like.

“It feels as though now that it's started to become a little bit more real, and we're getting a little bit closer to the NBL27, the interest from those teams is ramping up even more.

“It's getting a bit exciting, and I'm at a point now where I expect him to be in the NBL next season.”

Hooley agreed that all three of those destinations made sense due to his family connection to both Adelaide and Melbourne.

The 2018 NBL champion also knows how big of an impact he’d make at any of those three clubs.

“For anyone who had a question about what he could do on the floor, the last week or so of the [NBA] regular season, when he played a whole lot for the Minnesota Timberwolves, [showed] he has plenty left in the tank,” Hooley said.

“I spoke to him after a couple of those games, and he was very happy to be out on court.

“I could just envision, over a 33-game regular season, he's going to have a massive impact.”

That sentiment about the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist was echoed by Uluc.

“He's a 10+ year NBA veteran, and he is one of the best shooters over the last 10 years in world basketball,” Uluc said.

“He, at the Olympic level, is an elite creator as well.

“I appreciate that he is on the older side, and I appreciate that he is on the slower side relative to an import you might get or another marquee.

“But look at someone like Jack McVeigh, for example. He's been able to use his skill set. He's bereft of some athleticism, but the skill set is there, and he's able to be so elite in the NBL.

“There's a sense that Joe Ingles could do that, and I spoke with Rocco Ziccarsky the other day, and I asked him, 'You work out and have scrimmages with Joe every day, what’s he like?’ He said he's elite. He is a high-level shooter. He's still an elite passer. This is someone who can come in and make an impact.

“Is he gonna be the MVP? I wouldn't bet on that. But could he come in and be a high-level player? I think so, so those fits are intriguing to me.”

As well as his shooting, Hooley pointed out Ingles’ IQ and the pace he plays at would allow him to excel at the power forward spot on any good team.

Of the three, the team from the Heartland intrigues Uluc.

“The sense I get is that United is preparing a bigger offer, but the Phoenix are a team that is really intriguing because of what they’ve done over the past two seasons shooting three-pointers,” Uluc said.

“Joe Ingles is a five-time Olympian. He's a really smart basketball player, and I think he sees that situation as pretty fixed and defined.

“[I’m sure] he thinks he could look really good there, which had got him perked up a bit.”

On the flipside, Hooley made the case for his fit at United, alongside new big man Sam Waardenburg.

“You can make the case for both [teams], but with Sam Wardenburg now officially signing with Melbourne United, it’s [intriguing to think] how that would look, as that would be a whole lot of fun in the front court,” he said.

“There's just a lot of versatility there, which would be very exciting, and it seems like we're going to have the five-time Olympian in the NBL for NBL 27, which is going to be big news.”

Ingles is not the only five-time Olympian linked back to the NBL, with Patty Mills’ name also being discussed by teams around the League.

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