With pre-season fast approaching, several NBL clubs are continuing to put the finishing touches on their rosters. The Perth Wildcats have brought back a familiar championship-winning face, the Sydney Kings are closing in on another frontcourt addition following Keli Leaupepe’s injury, while former Wildcat David Okwera appears set to take the next step in his career with a move to Europe.
All of this and more in the latest edition of NBL Daily.
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WILDCATS LAND TWO-TIME CHAMPION
The Perth Wildcats are now just one import signing away from completing their roster for the 2026-27 NBL season after confirming the return of championship-winning centre Angus Brandt.
Brandt, who played 94 games across three seasons with the Wildcats between 2016 and 2019, returns to Perth after spending the past seven years overseas.
Now 36, Brandt began his NBL career with the Sydney Kings, where he made 49 appearances and claimed the 2015 Rookie of the Year award.
He joined Perth ahead of the 2016-17 season and quickly became an important piece of Trevor Gleeson’s championship-winning teams, helping the Wildcats lift titles in 2017 and 2019 alongside Bryce Cotton and Gleeson, who are both now with the Adelaide 36ers.
Following his departure from Perth, Brandt headed to Europe, spending the 2019-20 season with Pistoia Basket 2000 in Italy’s Serie A2 before beginning a lengthy stint in Japan.
Since 2020, Brandt has represented five Japanese clubs, Shiga, Kagawa, Ibaraki, Shinshu and, most recently, Veltex Shizuoka.
He spent the past two seasons with Veltex Shizuoka in Japan’s B2 League, now rebranded as B.One following the introduction of the B.League Premier competition.
Despite entering the latter stages of his career, Brandt has remained remarkably durable.
Across the past two seasons alone, he suited up in 120 games and is coming off a strong 2025-26 campaign, averaging 11.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.4 minutes per game while shooting 56.3% from the field.
His longevity has been equally impressive.
Across six seasons in Japan, Brandt played 305 games, a remarkable total that highlights the demands of the Japanese schedule. Under the NBL’s current format, reaching that number of games would take close to a decade.
Brandt effectively fills the roster spot vacated by free agent David Okwera.
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Standing 208cm and weighing 114kg, the veteran brings size, leadership and invaluable championship experience to a Perth squad that continues to blend youth with proven winners.
Exactly what role Brandt plays remains to be seen, but his experience gives head coach John Rillie another reliable frontcourt option, while Wildcats fans will no doubt welcome back a two-time champion to RAC Arena.
His return also revives memories of one of the NBL’s more entertaining rivalries with former Sydney Kings star Andrew Bogut.
During the 2018-19 season, tensions flared when Bogut briefly joined the Wildcats’ huddle during a game, prompting Brandt to label the former NBA champion a “pest” during an interview with TAB Radio.
“He’s just a pest on social media to be honest. I don’t have Twitter or anything so I’m not up to date with everything he says, but he seems to just get off on ruffling feathers and getting a rise out of people,” Brandt said.
While those exchanges are now almost a decade old and both men have long since moved on, it adds another layer of intrigue when Perth travels to face the Kings at Afterpay Arena on October 17.
Bogut may no longer be pulling on a Sydney jersey, but don’t be surprised if there are still a few lighthearted jabs exchanged from the sidelines.
FORMER WILDCAT LOOKING AT ROMANIA
Former Perth Wildcats forward David Okwera could be set for the next chapter of his career, with sources telling Fox Sports Australia the 24-year-old is exploring a move to Romania’s Liga Națională de Baschet Masculin (LNBM).
The league has become an increasingly attractive destination for Australian talent in recent years, most notably with Boomers forward Mitch Creek, who helped U-BT Cluj-Napoca claim the club’s 11th Romanian championship.
Okwera’s future has been one of the more intriguing storylines of the NBL off-season.
The athletic forward was initially linked with a move to the NCAA, specifically BYU, but sources told Fox Sports Australia those plans ultimately fell through after eligibility issues relating to his age created significant hurdles, bringing an end to what could have been a million-dollar opportunity.
More recently, Okwera was linked with the Sydney Kings following Keli Leaupepe’s season-ending injury.
However, Sydney has since filled that roster spot with the signing of import forward Andrew Carr, leaving Okwera to continue exploring opportunities elsewhere.
The 24-year-old is coming off his third season with the Perth Wildcats, appearing in 34 games during the 2025-26 campaign and averaging 5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 11.4 minutes per game.
He followed that up with another impressive season in the NBL1 West, returning to the East Perth Eagles for a second stint.
Across 22 games, Okwera averaged 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while also recording 1.5 blocks per game, continuing to showcase the versatility and athleticism that has made him one of Australia’s most intriguing young forwards.
While several NBL clubs are understood to have shown interest in Okwera, a move to Europe appears to offer the greatest opportunity at this stage of his career.
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Regular minutes, exposure to a different style of basketball and the financial rewards available overseas could prove invaluable as Okwera continues his development, making Romania an increasingly logical next destination.
REIGNING CHAMPS SIGN KENTUCKY ALUMNUS
The Sydney Kings are set to bolster their frontcourt, with sources telling Fox Sports Australia the club has agreed to a one-year deal with 6’11” American forward Andrew Carr.
Carr, 24, is expected to fill the roster spot vacated by Keli Leaupepe, who was recently ruled out for an indefinite period after suffering a second ACL injury while playing for the Knox Raiders in the NBL1 South.
A native of Paoli, Pennsylvania, Carr arrives in Sydney after an impressive collegiate career that culminated with one of the biggest programs in American college basketball, Kentucky.
He began his NCAA journey at Delaware after graduating from West Chester East High School, spending two seasons with the Blue Hens.
Across 49 games, Carr averaged 9.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 27.4 minutes per game, while shooting an impressive 35.7% from three-point range, a valuable asset for a player standing 6’11”.
Carr then transferred to Wake Forest, where he spent the next two seasons, and shared one season alongside former Cairns Taipans Next Star Bobi Klintman.
Between 2022 and 2024, he appeared in 61 games for the Demon Deacons, averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game while shooting 34.1% (61-of-179) from beyond the arc.
His performances quickly attracted interest from some of the biggest programs in the country after entering the NCAA transfer portal, eventually landing at Kentucky for his final collegiate season.
While the Wildcats fell short of winning a national championship, Carr made 35 appearances, averaging 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 24 minutes per game, further enhancing his resumé against elite opposition.
After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, Carr joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the NBA Summer League before signing with the franchise’s G League affiliate, Rip City Remix.
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In 49 games during the 2025-26 season, he averaged 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per contest.
One of the biggest strengths of Carr’s game is his ability to stretch the floor.
He knocked down 35.9%of his three-point attempts (65-of-181) in the G League last season, giving the Kings another genuine frontcourt shooting threat.
Carr most recently returned to the Trail Blazers for the 2026 NBA Summer League, where he teamed up with Adelaide 36ers guard Flynn Cameron, who no doubt would have shared his own experiences of playing in the NBL.
When the deal is finalised, the Kings will add a versatile 6’11” stretch four capable of rotating alongside Xavier Cooks, Harry Wessels and Jason Spurgin, providing valuable depth and flexibility in the frontcourt.
While comparisons to former Kings import and reigning NBL champion Tim Soares are inevitable, Carr offers a different skill set. His combination of size, mobility and perimeter shooting gives Sydney another dimension offensively, and at just 24 years of age, he arrives with the upside to establish himself as a long-term NBL player if he adapts quickly to the Australian game.
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