It’s been a busy day for Australian ballers stateside as Patty Mills joins Josh Giddey and Jack White at the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder during the second NBA free agency day. Other movers include Jock Landale and veteran Joe Ingles while Dante Exum returns to the NBA following a stint playing in Europe.
The off-season can be a nervous time for NBA fans desperate for some balling action. After the dramatic events of the NBA Finals this year that saw the Denver Nuggets secure a maiden NBA Championship, the players have been enjoying a well-earned rest before rejoining their teams, with players such as Patty Mills linking up with Dolce & Gabbana in Milan.
But teams across the NBA will still be hard at work, analysing players from all over to recruit their top picks during the NBA free agency days. It is a time of intense negotiation and strategising, as teams compete to bolster their lineups and bed in new players before the new season preparations get underway, and fans around the world eagerly anticipate any news from their sides as NBA teams have the opportunity to reshape their rosters and secure the services of talented players.
WATCH: Patty Mills Wears Dolce & Gabbana At Milan Fashion Week Men’s 2023.
For the smart teams, there are deals to be made. Cast back to 2010, when a then two-time MVP LeBron James put the league on high alert, announcing he’d be joining Wade and Bosh at the Miami Heat. The prolific trio would go on to win two consecutive championships together in 2012 and 2013.
This year has been one for the Australians however, with five Aussie players switching teams ahead of the 2023/24 season. After securing the championship ring with the Denver Nuggets last month, Jack White moves on with Patty Mills and will join Aussie Josh Giddie at the Thunder, forming Australia’s strongest balling contingent overseas.
Jock Landale has secured a $48m contract with the Rockets, 35-year-old Joe Ingles signed with Orlando Magic on a two-year deal and Dante Exum makes a dramatic return to basketball’s premier competition after securing a league title for Partizan Belgrade last season, signing with the Dallas Mavericks on a two-year deal.