29
May
Scouting Report
Big 3: Adelaide $36ers are instant NBL26 title contenders
Montrezl Harrell of the 36ers celebrates and waves to the crowd at full time during the NBL Play-In Qualifier match between Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena on February 13, 2025 in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
A+ off-season Adelaide 36ers face challenge of fitting NBL26 roster into the $2m salary cap
- The Adelaide 36ers now have a legitimate Big 3 plus shooter DJ Vasiljevic
- Five-time MVP Bryce Cotton signed with the 36ers on a three-year deal
- Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell agreed to a one-year extension
- How Adelaide will manage its $2m salary cap and potential luxury cap remains under wraps
Instant NBL26 title contenders is the only way to describe an extraordinary six days in the history of the Adelaide 36ers.
The storied 40-year-old South Australian club celebrated its ruby year signing NBL diamond Bryce Cotton and re-signing a gilt-edged former NBA star Montrezl Harrell just six days apart.
The 36ers now have a Big Three: Cotton; Harrell and former NBA player Isaac Humphries anchoring the middle.
Related: 1982 West Adelaide Bearcats — Where are they now
Add sniper DJ Vasiljevic in the backcourt with Cotton and the 36ers have both scoring, shooting and offense creation. Double Cotton at your peril because DJ only shot 36.5% on 8.5 attempts per game. He had third most attempts per game behind Melbourne United's Chris Goulding (10.2 at 36.3%) and new teammate Cotton (8.8). Cotton shot 42.7% from behind the arc.
All-NBL First Team Member Kendric Davis jumped ship to the Sydney Kings in late April but the reality is, Cotton is a 100% upgrade, despite Davis' aspirations of using the Kings as a springboard into the NBA.
Cotton, alone, would have made the 36ers a contender but with the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year saying yes to a 1-year extension and not needing to mentor and manage a young blossoming superstar instead shifting his sole focus to getting it done on both ends of the floor means watch-out for every other NBL club in 2025-26.
basketball.com.au columnist Andrew Bogut and soon-to-be Sydney Kings assistant — on his own podcast Rogue Bogues — speculated about what it took to get Cotton on the three year deal and how it impacts the NBL's $2m salary cap.
Bogut said: "The league (NBL) is not involved in the deal, they are not involved in any way, where they can do Ambassador agreements, where Montrezl Harrell was involved in some sort of ambassador agreement to top up his salary, nothing of the sorts from the NBL as far as that goes.
"So Adelaide, just absolutely, opening the truck. You look at their roster, you'd probably guess Bryce between $1 and $1.5 (million) AUD, Humphries is on half a million, DJ's on three to four, those two can be marqueed so will hit a lower threshold which will be closer towards 250 and 300 for them respectively.
"Flynn Cameron, we (the Sydney Kings) were negotiation with so we know that's a very, very big number ... that's your salary cap. So between those four guys you've got $1.6, 7, 8 region, they've got to find the rest of their roster ... they are not going to fill it with $300,000 they are going to go over it, it's looking like they'll be a half million over it which is a big slap on the luxury tax.
"Adelaide is going all in again and I know I give them shit but this is a great move for them.
"They've signed the multiple time league MVP from a team that had turmoil that hasn't any positive news they continue to put together big name rosters and now they've got one of the best players to ever play in the NBL, you've got to give them credit to pull this off the way they've done it."
The 36ers have also quietly recruited solid role players: Cameron from United; Isaac White from the Bullets; Matt Kenyon from the Phoenix; and Michael Harris from the Wildcats.
Five-time NBL MVP Cotton averaged 28.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists in NBL25 including the record breaking 59 points against the New Zealand Breakers in December, 2024. Cotton followed his 59 with 40 against the Illawarra Hawks and 49 against the Adelaide 36ers in Round 11 and 44 against Cairns in Round 12.
Meanwhile, Harrell averaged 20.7 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and almost two assists in 26 games in NBL25 — as well as putting plenty of bums on seats with his firebrand personality and chest-thumping style of play.
Head coach Mike Wells had several well documented clashes with his young point guard Davis last season and with the addition of one of the greatest NBL players of all-time that noise will go away in NBL26.
Adelaide has opened the cheque-book now it's up to the coaching staff to make it work.
Adelaide 36ers Off-season Status
- Head coach: Mike Wells
- Contracted: Ben Griscti, DJ Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries, Keanu Rasmussen, Montrezl Harrell
- Incoming: Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats), Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United), Isaac White (Brisbane Bullets), Matt Kenyon (South East Melbourne Phoenix), Michael Harris (Perth Wildcats)
- Departed: Jason Cadee (Retired), Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings), Lat Mayen (Perth Wildcats), Nick Marshall (Tasmania JackJumpers), Sunday Dech (Perth Wildcats)
- Free Agents: Alex Starling, Fiston Ipassou, Jacob Rigoni, Jarell Martin, Patrick D'Arcy, Tom Kubank
Adelaide 36ers depth chart:
- PG: Cotton (Import) / Rasmussen
- SG: Vasiljevic / White
- SF: Cameron / Harris / Kenyon
- PF: Harrell (Import) /
- C: Humphries / Griscti
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