Wildcats eye star duo

The Perth Wildcats continue to be on the clock as free agency ticks along, with some big gaps still needing to be filled to their roster ahead of next season.

“This list right now feels like they’re falling behind a little bit,” ESPN’s Olgun Uluc said on The Marketplace.

The Wildcats made no secret of their desire to sign a marquee-level talent, with their hopes of landing Matthew Dellavedova now a distant memory. 

“Jo Lual-Acuil Jr is someone who the Wildcats are targeting… they are also targeting Yanni Wetzell,” Uluc said.

“We have spoken about how important it is for this team to get a marquee player; it’s the thing that championship teams are built around.”

Both local big men are playing very well overseas right now and have had interest from teams around the league in the last few off-seasons. However, no team has been able to secure either of their signatures to this point, which could change with how the Wildcats are currently situated. 

“To their advantage – they have plenty of money and plenty of flexibility, in terms of what type of players they can allure,” Derek Rucker said. 

“The Perth Wildcats are not afraid to spend the money,” Pete Hooley added. 

“They’ve got enough there now, without Bryce Cotton, to go and pay a little more for that marquee signing.”

While all eyes are on the next move for Perth, Rucker believes their real championship aspirations will come down to what import pieces they put around the key pieces they do have locked away. 

“There’s no Bryce Cotton… so they need some dynamic perimeter offensive threat,” he said.

“The lineup right now looks really bare.

“They need to focus heavily on getting dynamic import players to pair up with Kristian Doolittle.”