High stakes in the desert: Taipans ready to deal

After finishing near the bottom in four of the past five seasons, the Cairns Taipans are no longer content with simply making up the numbers. This year, they’re determined to make a statement.

With private ownership reportedly on the horizon, the Taipans are opening their wallets and showing they’re serious about attracting top-tier talent for NBL26.

There’s no sugar-coating it - the Taipans have plenty of roster spots to fill. With only Sam Waardenburg locked in as a starter, they’ll be looking to plug some major gaps at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

“They want three high-level imports and a marquee-level Australian, from what I’m told,” Pete Hooley said on The Marketplace.

“They reached out to Isaiah Thomas. It didn’t progress much further than that. But that’s the kind of talent they’re after. High-level imports.

“Now, the private ownership talks are still ongoing, but it’s not going to stop them spending money, it seems.”

“So they’ve got to find three guys. I’m not sure there’s a better coach out there to go get three quality guys,” Derek Rucker said of head coach Adam Forde.

“We’ve talked about this in previous podcasts. He now has the ability to flash his wallet a little bit, where he hasn’t had that luxury in the past.

“Adam Forde, in my opinion, is one of the top three recruiters in the NBL. Once he gets those guys, I’m not down on the Taipans’ prospects at all. I think they play really hard. They’ve got Waardenburg.

“If they can find that marquee-level Australian and mesh it with three good imports, they’re going to be a problem.”

ESPN’s Olgun Uluc highlighted it as a clear shift in mindset from previous seasons, with the Taipans now openly signalling their intent to compete at a high level.

“Cairns showing intent to do it is really interesting. We’ve never seen that from the Taipans. Usually, their high-level locals are the ones they’ve bred. Guys like Bul Kuol, Keanu Pinder, Sam Waardenburg,” Uluc said.

“They usually get them before they’ve had that first big paycheck. So for them to commit, or at least show intent to do that, is different from what we’ve seen in the past.”

Cairns are firmly in the hunt for top-tier talent, and the word around Vegas is they’re right in the mix to pull off one or more major signings.

“I’ve just heard a few names Cairns is chasing. They’ve got to land one of them,” Uluc said.

“There’s something about Cairns. The Breakers too. They’re working hard, chasing key names,” Hooley added.

The 2025 NBA Summer League starts from July 11, Australian time, with exclusive interviews and insights available on the NBL App and NBL.com.au.