Wesley signing imminent
The Breakers are thought to be close to unveiling their marquee offseason signing in championshipwinning power forward Tai Wesley.
And it looks likely to come as a two-for-one type deal, with Wesley’s Melbourne United team-mate Majok Majok, currently playing for Kevin Braswell with the Saints in the Kiwi NBL, also crossing the Tasman from the 2017-18 champions.
Majok, the 25-year-old Sudanborn Aussie, was on Friday confirmed as the Breakers latest signing, joining the club on a oneyear deal for the 2018-19 Australian NBL season.
Wesley is a good get. He never should have been let go in the first place, after putting in two stellar seasons for the Breakers from 2014-16 – the first netting a championship and the second a runner-up effort.
But at the time the Breakers remained fiercely loyal to Kiwi hoops legend Mika Vukona who played the same position as Wesley.
So the Guam-qualified American was let go, and eventually he played a key role as the starting power forward in Melbourne’s historic championship in the just completed ANBL season, which included a 2-0 semifinal sweep of the Breakers.
At 31 he’s at the peak of his powers as an excellent low-post scoring option with stretch-three ability.
He’s a savvy operator with ball in hand, under-rated defender and is as strong as anyone in the league when it comes to the blue-collar stuff under the hoop.
In last season’s NBL Wesley averaged 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 blocks (4th in the league), while shooting 50 percent from the floor, 35 from deep and 72 from the line.
Most importantly he still has a season to run as an unrestricted (read local) player, via the now defunct Oceania player rule, and could potentially switch nationality at that end of that term.
Majok, said to come highly rec- ommended by Wesley, is a less stellar signing. The Sudan-born Aussie battled injury the past season with Melbourne and was used only sparingly on their championship run.
But he is a big body, quality rebounder and capable finisher around the rim and with the Breakers cutting ties with their trio of Kiwi big men – Vukona, Rob Loe and Alex Pledger – there is a need to add some size among the unrestricted contingent.
If there’s a concern for Kiwi hoops fans at the shape the Breakers roster is taking, it may be the continued reduction in spots for New Zealand-qualified players.
If Pledger’s departure is confirmed – and the under-contract big man is said to be hunting a new team, probably Melbourne – the Breakers could be down to as few as four Kiwis in the shape of the already signed Shea Ili, Tom Abercrombie, Finn Delany and Jordan Ngatai.
Braswell has also said he is keen to try to lure back Tall Blacks star Corey Webster who has been playing in Israel, but has admitted it may be a difficult task with his status in Europe.
But he told Stuff after his appointment that Wesley, whom he coached with the Saints during their Kiwi NBL title runs in 2016 and ‘17, would be a key piece in the championship puzzle if he could be lured back.