"It's quite comical": 36ers deny Wells rumours

With the dust well and truly settled on Sunday’s Game 5 of the Hungry Jack’s 2025-26 Championship Series, the NBL world has quickly shifted it’s focus to next season.

One of the hottest topics right now is the coaching future at the Adelaide 36ers, after SEN’s Kymbo Dillon said "everything I’m hearing right now is that Mike Wells will be released from his position either this week or next".

This follows CODE Sports’ report that “concerns exist around the American mentor’s temperament and man management and whether the club would be better served with a more experienced head coach".

Since then, Wells addressed the rumours, committing himself to the club for NBL27.

“We’re super proud of that (making the Championship Series), but the foundation has been laid for future success. We'll now move forward and keep trying to build for winning a championship as long as I'm the head coach,” Wells said on SEN.

Now, on Thursday, 36ers GM of Basketball Operations Matt Weston called the rumours “comical”, while reiterating that Wells is under contracted for next season.

“[There is] no foundation [in those rumours] at all and it was quite comical,” Weston said during the club’s press conference.

“I thought it was probably a little bit disappointing that it come out. No one's contacted me or the club to say is this what's happening, so I think it's more social media than journalism.

“We're doing our exit interviews now, and planning meetings for next year, [which he’s involved in as] he's contracted.

“We've got to remember we're one rebound away from winning it. It'd be pretty tough on him, right?

“He's done some really exceptional things this year. My thought is he's here, unless he gets an NBA gig, and we'd all understand that.”

Weston also went on to dispel any talk of a divide between Wells and the playing group.

“We're going through the interviews and we've had some really good feedback from the guys,” he said.

“Mike's obviously been in those and he's taken that on.

“Like any relationship, I think there's always going to be things that you're doing really well and then what can we do better, and what are those gaps instead of trying to find the gaps and punch through them.

“What can we do to be better at that, because you can appreciate that sport so dynamic and we're moving at such a quick speed, that sometimes you don't have the time to sit back and you know take it. Now's the time you do it, and I thought they've been really fruitful.”

Weston shut down the thought that Wells had a ‘temper issue’.

“To be fair to him, it's such an intense position to be in,” he said.

“All coaches, they do live on an edge. It's a tough job, and I don't think he has a temper issue.

“He's now two years as a head coach, and he's got a long history of being an assistant coach, so I think it's the evolution of just learning more about what the head coach role is.

“I don't think you ever master it. As you go through, even in coaches that have been 10 years' head coach, they always seem to improve and move on with that.

“It's just those sort of basics that he will evolve and get better at.”

The NBL27 Free Agency period opens at 9am AEST on Friday, April 17.