Pinder’s value is sky high

OFF-CONTRACT NBL stars are playing to secure their futures – headed by the league’s in-form forward, Cairns star Keanu Pinder.

Pinder’s management have contacted rival clubs about their gun client for next season, as his value on the open market rises.

The Cairns fan favourite has gone from the NBL’s Most Improved Player last season to arguably the league’s premier big man.

Pinder has averaged 18 points, 9.78 rebounds and 2.78 assists this season, which is helping his market value.

It comes as Taipans officials privately concede it will be difficult to retain the rising Boomers big man, who will also attract overseas interest.

NBL great Shane Heal believes Pinder will command top dollar.

“He deserves $1.5m over three years in a good program,” Heal said on the Basketball Show.

“He would make an average program better straight away, but that is the sort of money that they (a club) would have to pay, surely.”

Heal praised Cairns for identifying Pinder as a player of significant potential while playing for Adelaide in 2020-21.

The Taipans face the prospect of history repeating with players such as Cam Gliddon and Mitch McCarron developing at the club before leaving for bigger contracts.

Heal would like to see smaller clubs such as Cairns given the chance to retain their best players through the league’s $1.7m soft salary cap.

Clubs that exceed the cap will have the money filtered down to those that haven’t.

“To me, that is where teams that are paying the luxury tax that (money) should go to clubs like Cairns so it can go towards hopefully keeping someone like Keanu,” he said.

Read more in The Logue Down at cairnspost.com.au/sport/basketball