Puzzle complete. Kings reportedly have their piece

The Sydney Kings reportedly have locked away their final piece to a championship contending puzzle, with former champion Tim Soares returning to the club.

“He's a legit 6’11’. He has a dense body and so I think he ticks every single box this team needs,” ESPN’s Olgun Uluc said on The Marketplace about the signing.

“Most importantly, he's a high character guy. He's someone who can plug and play and on this team that has a bunch of stars.”

The 28-year-old played a key role in the Kings championship winning season back in 2023, averaging almost 10 points and five rebounds per game.

“We knew that they were looking for an impactful five that they could bring in,” Uluc added.

“This is a really good option for someone who can play really well alongside Xavier Cooks.

“If you want to be able to extract the most out of Cooks and get him back to that MVP form, then Tim Soares is the guy because of his ability to stretch the floor.

“He is a big who has good hands, and he was underrated defensively last time he was here.”

The Kings had been patient with filling their last spot, with many fans concerned over the lack of height amongst the current roster.

With Soares’ reported signing, it ticks a lot of boxes for what this team needed and how they look ahead of NBL26.

“He might be their starting center yes, but that could change at times,” Pete Hooley added.

“Obviously they’re really high on what Keli Leaupepe can do and with certain matchups around the league. So maybe it’s one game Keli starts and one game it’s Soares for the shooting aspect.

“When you’ve got a guy like Kendric Davis, who thrives in space, throwing out a center who can stretch the floor… you can just imagine the space that KD and even Delly can play with.”

As this new look Kings squad slowly starts to arrive in Sydney ahead of the upcoming season, there is versatility everywhere that will give Brian Goorjian a lot to tinker with.

“The pre-season is going to be a fun watch because there’s a bunch of different combinations there,” Hooley said.

“But one thing is for certain, they’ve nailed everything they need.”

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