Can Cairns Keep Key Core Pieces?

After their resurgent season came to an end at the hands of the Sydney Kings on Sunday, will it be a case of one and done for Adam Forde’s electric Cairns Taipans side?

Four of the Taipans’ key players – DJ Hogg, Shannon Scott, Keanu Pinder and Bul Kuol – will head into free agency come the end of NBL23, and while the likes of Tahjere McCall and Sam Waardenburg look set to go around again next season it could be re-signings as opposed to new signings that define the Snakes’ off-season.

Speaking on NBL Today, Pete Hooley believes the Taipans might have to re-tool before next season out of necessity.

<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4ixhhBADifP1LDy0mmhqjO?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>

“I’d love to see them keep the same team, but I don’t think it’s going to be possible,” Hooley said.

“Adam Forde said last year he would take a pay-cut to keep Bul Kuol and Keanu Pinder, but it’s going to be hard to do.

“DJ Hogg comes into the league and has an unbelievable first season as an import – I’m sure he loves Cairns, he loves playing with Tahjere McCall and Adam Forde. I really hope they can keep that majority of that core together and continue to build.

“It’s Moneyball … Adam Forde has built up the club now, it’s going to be that factory type opportunities for young players and second chances.

“It’s fun to watch and I’m not too worried about who they get.”

NBL23's other eliminated Playoff side - Tasmania - also have an interesting off-season to prepare for.

The JackJumpers have an opportunity that has not presented itself at the club until now, and that is to re-tool their local talent pool.

Their trio of imports come off contract along with local stars Clint Steindl and Jarrad Weeks after all of their local players signed at least two-year deals during the club’s inception.

“Now they’ve got a couple of guys out of contract they’ve got a bit of an opportunity to try and tweak a few things here and there. Tassie could come out with a bang in NBL24,” Hooley said.

“They had no changes in their local talent [this season]. They brought in Isaac White as an injury replacement and then made him a development player but everyone else had signed those two-year deals from the jump.”