A month after winning an NBA championship, Alex Ducas is set to go home. He will reportedly sign a one-year deal with the NBL’s Brisbane Bullets, per ESPN. The former two-way player will leave the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Summer League is concluded.

Ducas only spent one season on the Thunder. He was signed to a two-way deal after he went undrafted in 2024 out of Saint Mary’s. The 24-year-old never could carve out a role on the championship squad and spent most of his season sidelined with injuries. He averaged 1.7 points in 21 games last season.

The Thunder had Ducas on their 2025 Summer League roster and played in the first game, but he has remained on the bench in their two games since then. This likely explains it, as he’ll sign a deal with the NBL.

The Thunder have a vacant two-way spot up for grabs. Brooks Barnhizer and Branden Carlson are the other two-way players on OKC’s roster. Summer League could go a long way to determining who gets that third slot.

Such is life in the NBA. Ducas gave it a shot but will return to Australia. At least he received a ring out of the ordeal and will play in the NBL with championship experience.

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24-year-old NBA champion, Australian Alex Ducas, will reportedly sign with the Brisbane Bullets at the conclusion of Summer League, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.

Ducas won the most recent NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he signed a two-way contract with the club at the 2024 NBA Summer League.

The @BrisbaneBullets are planning to sign Australian NBA Champion Alex Ducas on a one-year deal, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports 👀 pic.twitter.com/RzfTO0eG3c — NBL (@NBL) July 9, 2025

The Australian wing is a product of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, where he spent three years perfecting his craft before making his collegiate debut with Saint Mary’s.

Ducas would join Mitch Norton, Casey Prather, Tyrell Harrison, Sam McDaniel, Jacob Holt, and Taine Murray on the Bullets’ main roster for the 2025-26 NBL season.

One NBA champion from the Oklahoma City Thunder is heading Down Under.

From the Thunder to the Brisbane Bullets, from the NBA to the NBL.

Alex Ducas has agreed to a one-year contract with Brisbane, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.

Ducas earned his championship ring on a two-way contract. He appeared in 21 games last season for the Thunder, playing a total of 125 minutes.

He was an undrafted free agent signee out of Saint Mary’s, where he made 40.6% of his 3-pointers.

Ducas will take that sharp shooting stroke to Australia after a short Summer League stint.

The 6-foot-6 Ducas didn’t play in the Thunder’s final Summer League game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, although that could’ve mostly been due to this contract being in the works.

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Ducas wasn’t looking overly likely to keep his two-way contract this season. The Thunder have already filled two of the three spots with new faces Brooks Barnhizer and Branden Carlson.

OKC could look to bring back current free agent Adam Flagler, who was on a two-way deal last year, or leave that spot open for an addition later in the offseason.

Ducas joins a Bullets team that went 12-17 in the 2024-25 NBL season. The most notable name Brisbane had was probably Rocco Zikarsky, the giant center who has just come stateside to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves after being drafted.

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The Aussies and Kiwis to watch at 2025 NBA Summer League

The 2025 NBA Summer League is underway and, as always, there’s a sizable Australian and Kiwi contingent set to compete.

The NBA’s annual offseason tournament begins with the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League, before the main event tips off in Las Vegas, and, for fans in the Oceania region, it’s the range of players on show that will be the most fascinating to track.

There are, of course, the four Australians who are members of the 2025 NBA Draft class, all of whom should get ample opportunity over Summer League. Then, there are those who’ve had a cup of coffee in the NBA before and are eyeing a return, or the ones looking for their first taste.

Some teams will have multiple Australians, so they’ll be appointment viewing. The Golden State Warriors lead the way with a trio –Alex Toohey, Taran Armstrong, and Alex Higgins-Titsha — while the Chicago Bulls will feature Illawarra Hawks championship duo Lachlan Olbrich and Will ‘Davo’ Hickey.

The California and Utah portions of Summer League take place from July 6-9 (AEST), before the entire NBA world descends onto Las Vegas from July 11-21.

Here are the Australians and Kiwis set to compete at Summer League, and what the state of play is regarding those who have the best shot at finding a spot on NBA rosters.

2025 draft class

Tyrese Proctor – Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers really believe in Proctor, who was taken with the 49th overall pick, then immediately added to their main roster. He signed a four-year deal with the team; the first two years of which are guaranteed.

The 6’6 combo guard out of Sydney is coming off his third season at Duke University, having averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game as a junior.

Alex Toohey – Golden State Warriors

Toohey is one of three Australians on this Warriors team going into Summer League. The 6’8 wing out of Canberra was taken with the 52nd overall selection in this draft, but, because the Warriors obtained that pick via a trade, he’ll sit out the first portion of Summer League until that transaction is made official.

The 21-year-old is coming off his second season with the Sydney Kings in the NBL, having averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Toohey is effectively a lock to earn a two-way deal with the Warriors ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, but there’s a possibility that a roster spot becomes available for him, depending on how the remainder of the team’s free agency plays out.

Rocco Zikarsky – Minnesota Timberwolves

Zikarsky was taken by the Timberwolves with the 45th overall pick in this draft, and has already put pen to paper on a two-year, two-way deal with the team.

The big-man is coming off a second season with the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL, averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in minimal minutes. What made Zikarsky appealing to multiple NBA teams — and ultimately the Timberwolves — was his size and potential, with the 18-year-old measuring in at 7’4, making him the tallest player in this draft class.

The Timberwolves took another centre, Joan Beringer, with their 17th overall pick, and he’d naturally, theoretically, be ahead of Zikarsky in rotation projections. So, the Summer League will be Zikarsky’s first opportunity to show his value in a centre spot that’s relatively stacked on this team.

Lachlan Olbrich – Chicago Bulls

Olbrich used an extremely impressive offseason rise to ultimately be selected by the Bulls with the 55th overall pick, and has since signed a two-way deal with the team.

The 6’10 big-man out of Adelaide is coming off his second season with the Illawarra Hawks, averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while helping his team to the 2025 NBL Championship.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones – Toronto Raptors

Out of Wellington, New Zealand, Tait-Jones went undrafted out of UC San Diego, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game as a senior.

Tait-Jones has had NBL offers for quite some time, sources told ESPN, but is opting to go in a different direction to begin his professional career.

Reyne Smith – Denver Nuggets

Smith — a 6’2 shooting guard out of Tasmania — went undrafted after an impressive season at Louisville, but went on to sign a Summer League deal with the Nuggets.

As a senior at Louisville, Smith averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.9% from beyond the three-point line (on 9.1 attempts a game).

Running it back

Johnny Furphy – Indiana Pacers

Furphy was the 35th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and is coming off a rookie season where his Indiana Pacers pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the NBA Finals.

Still, we haven’t seen much of the 6’8 wing since he was drafted. He averaged just 7.6 minutes a game for the Pacers — much of which was in garbage time — because of how deep Rick Carlisle’s team was. In 10 G-League games this past season, Furphy averaged 14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and the Pacers will be hoping the 20-year-old looks like one of those ‘too good for Summer League’ type of players early on.

Alex Ducas – Oklahoma City Thunder

Ducas went undrafted in the 2024 draft, before signing a two-way deal with the Thunder, who he’s suiting up for during the 2025 Summer League.

The 24-year-old is competing for a two-way spot — the Thunder more than likely have one vacant — after averaging 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G-League last season.

Taran Armstrong – Golden State Warriors

Armstrong used an impressive second season with the Cairns Taipans to earn a two-way deal with the Warriors at the end of last season, and looks primed to stay in the Bay Area for the 2025-26 campaign.

In 11 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League last season, the 6’5 point guard averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.

An NBA return?

Jack McVeigh – Atlanta Hawks

McVeigh is coming off a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets, where he primarily played in the G-League, averaging 15.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The 6’8 forward just turned 29 and is a proven high-level shot-maker, so the early word is that he has a real shot at finding his way on the Hawks’ roster in some capacity to start the new NBA season.

Technically, however, he’ll be competing with…

Jack White – Atlanta Hawks

It does seem like White and McVeigh may be competing for the same spot, which is a fun wrinkle in a Hawks team that should be must-watch viewing for Australians.

White is coming off a season where he helped lead Melbourne United to the 2025 NBL Championship Series, before heading to Bayern Munich and winning the Basketball Bundesliga title in Germany.

The 6’7 forward out of Traralgon, Victoria is no stranger to the NBA, having been a two-way player with the Denver Nuggets during their 2023 championship campaign, as well as signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for the end of their 2023-24 season.

White is coming off a season in the NBL with United where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Will Magnay – Memphis Grizzlies

While it’s unlikely we see Magnay actually hit the floor for the Grizzlies — he’s dealing with a wrist injury — there’s still reason to believe his presence with the team at Summer League may lead to something more.

The Grizzlies flew him to Memphis knowing full well the extent of his wrist injury, and the early word is they like him enough to strongly consider him for a spot on their roster ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

The 6’10 big-man is currently signed with the Tasmania JackJumpers; this past NBL season, he averaged 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

Who’s hoping to continue the NBL-to-NBA pathway?

Will Hickey – Chicago Bulls

Hickey is coming off a breakout season in the NBL, averaging 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, for the Illawarra Hawks. He played a key role in leading them to the 2025 Championship.

This opportunity with the Bulls will be the first Summer League experience for the 6’5 guard out of Sydney.

Sam Mennenga – Los Angeles Lakers

This is Mennenga’s first career Summer League appearance, where he’ll play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 6’9 big out of Auckland is currently signed with the New Zealand Breakers, and is coming off a season with Atleticos de San German in Puerto Rico, where he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Tyrell Harrison – Denver Nuggets

Harrison is one worth keeping an eye on. The 7’1 Kiwi-Australian big-man — who’s currently signed with the Brisbane Bullets in the NBL — is coming off an impressive season in Puerto Rico, averaging 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for Indios de Mayaguez.

Going into Summer League, the Nuggets have one vacant two-way spot, and there are enough whispers that Harrison is someone who has a real shot at putting his name in the conversation for it.

Alex Higgins-Titsha – Golden State Warriors

Higgins-Titsha used an impressive minicamp with the Warriors to earn his way onto their Summer League roster.

The 6’7 forward out of Sydney averaged 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL last season.

Biwali Bayles – New York Knicks

Bayles is one of the surprises of the list of Australians and Kiwis heading to Summer League, with the 6’1 point guard getting the opportunity while not currently signed in the NBL.

Bayles played for BBC Nyon in the Swiss Basketball League over the 2024-25 season, averaging 18.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.br/]

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman hopes the addition of lightning-quick import Tyson Walker can help produce the up-tempo game he believes can snare a breakthrough NBL championship.

Walker has been confirmed as Melbourne’s second import for the 2025/26 season, joining fellow American guard Milton Doyle on a revamped roster.

The 24-year-old’s signing comes as Vickerman chases a fresh look to his next title bid after consecutive championship series defeats over the last two seasons.

“We look at our style of play for this year and we have the ability to play a little bit faster and put more pressure on the basketball, and Tyson offers that in spades,” Vickerman said.

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“He’s quick, he’s a New York point guard, there’s some flair and some sauce in the way that he plays, and I think he’s really going to entertain our fans.”

Former Tasmania JackJumpers ace Milton Doyle has already signed on with Melbourne United. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

Walker spent two seasons at Northeastern University before transferring to Michigan State for his final three seasons.

He finished his collegiate career as the only player in NCAA Division 1 history with at least 2000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals.

Walker, who played in the NBA G-League with the Dallas Mavericks-affiliated Texas Legends, said he was excited about the prospect of spending his first season abroad with perennial NBL title contenders Melbourne.

“They can expect a competitor,” Walker said.

“Someone who’s always going to play as hard as he can to try to win, a little bit of flashy stuff, not too much, and just a lot of energy.”

Walker and Doyle join Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Finn Delany, Kyle Bowen, Tanner Krebs, Fabijan Krslovic, Tom Wilson, Dash Daniels, Campbell Blogg and Tom Koppens on Melbourne’s roster for the upcoming season.