Deadline Day: The epic story behind the biggest move in NBL history

May 23, 2025. It was the moment that shook the NBL world.

One of the greatest NBL players of all-time. One of the biggest Free Agency moves ever.

Bryce Cotton. A five-time MVP. A three-time champion. A Perth Wildcats legend … now an Adelaide 36er.

But how did one of the most talked about NBL stories of all time come to be?

It all started during Cotton's ninth year at the Wildcats, where he, and a number of other key players, were set to come off contract at the end of the season.

Throughout the campaign, which would inevitably lead to Cotton's fifth MVP, he was reluctant to rush into signing a new, long-term deal.

>> December 12, 2024: Wildcats offer Cotton historic deal

After months of negotiating, the two parties hadn't reached a solution by the end of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Season, in which Perth was eliminated in game three of their Playoff Series against Melbourne United.

Many thought this might be the last time fans would see see Cotton on an NBL court, with rumours swirling that he had interest in playing abroad, including re-uniting with former coach Trevor Gleeson at Japanese B League side, the Chiba Jets.

Cotton had stated he would never play for another Australian club, and it seemed like the writing was on the wall. It was Perth, or abroad ... or so it seemed.

“Nah, like I don’t think that [playing for another NBL team] is a possibility for me, but it’s been a fun right like I still can’t believe I’ve played nine seasons here, it’s been a blur ... don’t know what’s next, but if it is it, what a ride it’s been,” he told 10 News Perth.

“I still haven’t decided what I want to do next ... it’s a lot of factors that go into what I need to decide and obviously it’s not just me making the decision.”

>> March 8, 2025: Cotton contract decision imminent

The Wildcats, with an eye for NBL26, gave Cotton a deadline to advise them of his decision to re-sign or leave the club. They vowed not to rush him, but needed to plan for NBL26.

“We’ve not sat down. We need to certainly do that,” Perth owner Mark Arena told The Dribble Podcast in March.

“Bryce is in our view the best player in the league and should be compensated as such. That’s such a key part of what the roster looks like. If Bryce is going to re-sign with us, what does the team look like? If he’s not, what does the team look like? It is totally different. But we don’t have any dates yet.”

>> March 5: Wildcats won’t rush out-of-contract Cotton

It was while Cotton was playing in Puerto Rico in mid-March that it all came to a head.

“Maybe three or four days after I came to Puerto Rico, they were like, ‘Look, we need an answer.’ They sent an email: ‘We need an answer within the next two or three days, whether you’re going to sign your extension or not,” Cotton said on The EasyDay Show.

“I was like, ‘Hold up … you knew all year I’ve been saying I want to test Free Agency'.

“I'm not being cocky or arrogant, but I just had one of the greatest seasons in NBL history, and I’m a Free Agent for the first time ever.

“They were like, ‘Oh, we need an answer, because you’re an integral part of our roster and if you’re not going to be here, we need to know'.

“I had my agent tell me, ‘Give me your answer’ within two to three days after I got to Puerto Rico, and I was like, ‘That’s just not enough time for me to make a decision. I want to test Free Agency. So if you guys feel like you want to move on, I understand. That’s not enough time for me to make a decision. I want to see everything that’s out there'.”

The Wildcats' deadline came and went, and the superstar still hadn't put pen to paper on what had been reported to be the 'biggest deal in NBL history'.

Soon after, Cotton says his agent received a draft memo saying “Bryce Cotton is not going to be part of the Wildcats’ NBL26 squad”.

Rather than waiting, he decided to control the narrative by making an announcement via Instagram - he was leaving Perth. The Bryce Cotton era in the West was officially over.

"Perth will always be home, but it’s time to say goodbye and see what else God has planned for me and my family," he said.

"I can only hope you had half as much joy watching me play as I had playing in front of y’all year after year. Win lose or draw, I gave you, my teammates, and coaches everything I had ... and thank you once again for accepting, the good games, the bad and everything in between."

>> March 25: Bryce Cotton farewells Perth

Once that post dropped, the internet went into overdrive, with everyone trying to figure out what this meant for Cotton, the Wildcats and the city of Perth.

“Star players carry an incredible amount of mystique around them, but basketball is a team sport,” club owner Mark Arena said.

"We’ve locked in some high-quality re-signings with Kristian Doolittle on a three-year deal, skipper Jesse Wagstaff staying with us for a remarkable 17th season and we’re looking forward to building out our roster over the coming weeks.”

>> March 25: Wildcats comment on Cotton departure

While all eyes were on Cotton, the 36ers, steered by their GM of basketball operations, Matt Weston, started to plot their move in mid-May.

“His name was deep in my mind, but I didn’t want to get too excited and get people thinking it could happen in case it couldn’t,” Weston revealed on NBL Now.

“I’d had about a half-hour discussion with Bryce’s guys and thought, this could actually happen.

“I sort of shocked Mike (Wells) when I went over to him during the Development Player camp and said, ‘You want Bryce? We could get him.’ He thought I was mucking around. He said, ‘Are you serious?’ I said, ‘We’ve got him on the hook. What do you think?’”

“He (Wells) couldn’t concentrate for about a day and a half at the DP camp while I went and did the deal.”

>> May 23: Adelaide signs Cotton in bombshell move

As the 36ers, whose coach Mike Wells had a previous relationship with Cotton due to their time together in the NBA with Utah, sensed an opportunity, they went into overdrive.

“On Tuesday I simply asked the question, ‘What’s going to happen with him?’ and they told me he was open to coming back,” Weston said.

“So we [Weston, Wells, Nic Barbato (CEO) and Grant Kelley (owner)] have been working day and night talking about philosophy, strategy, what we do and how we do it here.

“I worked around the clock from that, and on Thursday we got the deal done.”

>> May 24: The story behind the mastermind move that shook the NBL

Those 72 hours proved to be organisation-changing for the 36ers, who haven't won a championship since the 2001-02 season.

“The opportunity to bring in one of the all-time greats of the NBL is hard to pass up," Weston said.

“Bryce has a history of winning championships, of personal and team excellence, and he’s going to help us transform our culture and our standards to build a team capable of winning championships.”

“We know when he’s up and going, he’s hard to stop, and we think our fans will love having him on our side instead of playing against us.”

The entire NBL had been turned on its head, with people distinctly remembering where they were when they found out Cotton was signing a lucrative three-year deal in Adelaide.

>> May 30: The Bryce is right: Cotton deal "biggest in NBL history"

While there was ecstasy in the City of Churches, the same could not be said for Perth.

The West Australian ran a back page saying “The Lying King”, in reference to Cotton's comments about not playing for another club.

This didn't sit well with the man himself, labelling the treatment “crazy and disrespectful” as he vowed to burn the commemorative “King of the Jungle” poster they’d gifted him after his 59-point game.

>> May 27: "Crazy and disrespectful": Cotton slams WA paper

Elsewhere in Perth, media personalities Tim Gossage and Lachie Reid both suggested the Wildcats’ management botched the re-signing attempt, labelling them “asleep at the wheel”, with late deadlines, poor communication and a lack of consultation with their best-ever player.

Arena was quick to defend the club's actions.

“I think we started by saying we’d talk at the end of the season. Then we extended it, and we extended it again. It happened many times,” he said on NBL Now.

“We didn’t have a set time frame on it, but at some point, you’re talking to other agents of other players, and what Bryce decides really impacts them, whether they’re going to come back or not.

“If we don’t start to move on them, we could be impacted. We didn’t want to end up in a position where we were waiting and waiting, and other players perhaps started looking or signing elsewhere. Then we’d be trying to build a roster without some of the key people we wanted, who had already signed elsewhere.”

>> May 27: “A horrible decision we had to make”

A few weeks later, when revealing their new club logo, Arena doubled down.

“No regrets [about the decision],” Arena said.

“We did what we thought is, and what we still believe is, right for the Wildcats. That’s long term success both on and off the court. We felt we did that and totally back the decision we made collectively.”

>> June 11: Mark Arena at peace with how Bryce Cotton negotiations played out

In the ensuing months, championship anticipation built as the 36ers also signed Zylan Cheatham and Flynn Cameron, to complement Australian Boomers pair Isaac Humphries and Dejan Vasiljevic.

While Cotton was still overseas, the NBL26 schedule dropped, leading to everyone circling two dates; November 9 (Cotton's first clash against the Wildcats in Adelaide) and December 7 (Cotton's first game back at RAC Arena).

Upon arriving in Adelaide in mid-August, the 36ers' star signing opened up on the incredible decision.

“I was honestly not planning [to stay in Australia],” Cotton said on SEN SA Breakfast.

“They [Adelaide 36ers] came out of the blue. Me and my manager, we were still discussing options as it was early in the free agency.

“One night my manager sent me a text with the proposal they had sent through, up until that point there had been no talks with them.

“It blindsided me, but it was a pretty good offer, a lot of things lined up for me and my family and it was a no-brainer from there.”

>> August 29: Bryce Cotton opens up on shock switch to Adelaide 36ers

He also went on to explain that he “didn’t technically leave”, as the Wildcats first decided not to wait while he exercised his right to see what was out there.

Cotton stressed it was a business decision on both sides and repeatedly thanked the Red Army for their loyalty over nine seasons, saying he gave them everything he had.

Since the season got underway, Cotton has let his play do the talking, producing career-best marks in assists (6.9) and steals (2.1), while leading the league in scoring (26.6 points per game).

He guided the 36ers to an impressive 7-2 start before Perth came to Adelaide, in a mouthwatering matchup at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

While all eyes were on this blockbuster, the 33-year-old American tried to play down the fixture.

“It’s just another game for me. I know there's a lot of hype and I guess story around it, but it's just another game that I'm hoping to win,” Cotton said.

"[I'm going to let my] basketball do the talking. That's all it is.

“Whatever it takes to win … and you know, I have a good radar of what's normal banter and what's crossing the line. So, depending on where I feel about what's said or things that are done on the court, it will indicate my reactions.”

Perth got the better of that matchup, winning 94-87.

But everyone knew that was just the appetiser, with attention quickly shifting to 'The Return'.

Despite a FIBA Break, and both Perth (who defeated Melbourne) and Adelaide (who smashed Brisbane) having previous games in Round 11, Sunday's blockbuster at RAC Arena is the game everyone has been waiting for.

"If you cannot get up for a game [Perth v Adelaide] like this, I do not know if you are in the right business, so for us this is a team that came in and smacked us in the mouth at our crib," Cheatham said in Friday's post-game press conference.

"We took that very much personally, and I think the majority of the group feels that, and obviously Bryce has his personal stuff going on, but for us it is a matter of coming out, executing and getting a road win to try and get some more separation on that ladder."

>> December 6: Cotton’s homecoming turns into Sixers' revenge shot

Although the war of words has stretched over a couple of months, it seems like more of that is being put in the rear-view mirror.

This week, Arena stated there was no bad blood between him and Cotton.

“It has nothing to do with Bryce individually with me or me with Bryce,” Arena told CODE Sports.

“For me, it is all about having a budget and one of the largest in the league to build a team and like I said when I came in, the best thing is how do we effectively use that to win a championship.

“That is the focus of every club owner in the league.”

>> December 6: 'No bad blood': Wildcats owner defends Cotton call

Arena also confirmed he will lead a standing ovation for Cotton, which will come moments after an emotional video tribute on the jumbotron, with both teams gathered on court.

With less than 24 hours until the most highly anticipated return in NBL history, Cotton expressed what the city of Perth means to him.

"I'm not sure [what kind of reception I'll get], we're all going to find out in a couple of days," Cotton said.

"Of course, it's good to be appreciated, but I know what I've done there, and the people who I'm close to out there know what I've done as well.

"So that's what matters. Nothing can take away my love for the city."

>> December 6: ‘Cheer or boo, I still love this city’: Cotton on Perth homecoming

Now all that is left to do is play, and the fans, commentators and players alike simply can't wait.

“[Honestly] I think this is going to be emotional for Bryce. I really do," former NBL champion Mark Worthington said.

"I think this is one of the things that, once again, there'll be a lot of feelings and emotions, even walking back into this gym and having this opportunity to play against the Wildcats for the first time in his career.”

"I know he's going in with a chip on his shoulder, and I know he's going in ready," former teammate Casey Prather added.

"I don't think there's any other game that's as important this year."

"What he did out there is really amazing - his years in Perth were amazing," Adelaide coach Mike Wells continued.

"I hope they give him the appropriate response and respect for what he did for that city and that organisation."

Watch the thrilling fixture live on ESPN and 10 Drama on Sunday from 4.30pm AEDT.