Suitors to emerge in Motum signature race?

There have been few names more active in the NBL free agency rumour mill over this past week than former Adelaide 36er and Boomers World Cup representative Brock Motum, and ESPN’s Olgun Uluc says a return to the competition is far from set in stone for the 33-year-old.

Motum has played just one season in the NBL over the course of his globetrotting career, in which he was the only local player named to the All-NBL First Team back in 2015. Since then he’s taken his talents to Lithuania, Turkey, Spain, France and, most recently, Japan.

Motum is one of Australia’s most decorated European and Asian basketball exports over the past decade, and Uluc says an NBL team is yet to table a concrete offer to the power forward.

“From the very beginning I got the sense Brock Motum was signalling to NBL teams he was ready for a return,” Uluc said on The Marketplace. Whether that was this season or next season, that was up in the air and dependent on the interest out there.

“As of now there’s no team for him. 

“He’s an interesting situation because he’s been in Japan and he’s very expensive. We understand what he brings offensively, there are some deficiencies defensively, so these are things teams need to consider before you bring someone like him in, someone you more than likely have to marquee, so he does handcuff you to an extent.

“There are teams out there with an opening at the four spot – especially the starting four spot – I look at Adelaide, Melbourne, now these aren’t teams that are necessarily interested in him, but they’re teams where you could see the fit there.”

Adelaide’s starting power forward spot has opened up due to the departure of fan-favourite import Jacob Wiley, while Luke Travers’ immediate future at Melbourne United remains murky due to interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the 22-year-old’s draft rights.

Peter Hooley believes there are two other teams who could immediately benefit from adding Motum, one of whom already has a star power forward rostered for next season.

“If Mitch Creek leaves and South East Melbourne has an opening at the power forward spot, the Brisbane Bullets, if they were looking to bring in that power forward spot or bring in some insurance around Deng Adel who is going to play more on the wing, then you can have a potential marquee guy in that slot as well,” Hooley said.

“The handcuffing thing is he’s not cheap, Brock Motum.

“You could suit him anywhere if you weren’t talking just money because you could put him alongside Keanu Pinder out west, and all of a sudden that looks like a formidable front court, but it’s always one to watch to see his name pop up.”