No-brainer: Star import wants long-term deal

He’s established himself as one of the most important pieces in the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 championship race, and now John Brown III appears set to extend his stay in Australia.

According to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc, on the latest episode of The Marketplace, presented by Paywise, South East Melbourne and Brown have begun extension talks.

“He wants to [stay in Melbourne], and the Phoenix have a desire to keep him,” Uluc said via The Marketplace, presented by Paywise.

“In fact, I'm told that John Brown wants to sign a multi-year deal to stay in South East Melbourne. That's what he has a desire to do.

“Obviously, there is still a lot of water to go under that bridge and a lot of discussions to be had.

“These talks are very preliminary, but there is mutual interest on both sides.

“[It’s exciting that a] Defensive Player of the Year, who’s in my All-NBL First Team and one of the best players in the league right now, wants to stay here long term.”

As Uluc points out, Brown III is a prime example of why imports don’t necessarily have to produce big offensive numbers to be successful in the NBL.

“This [potential re-signing] should be a message to every head coach and every GM out there, your input does not have to be at 20 points per game,” Uluc said.

“It can be an elite defensive connector, and often that is the thing that wins you championships.

“The Phoenix have a real shot at winning the championship, because they got a connector in John Brown.

“Justin Simon was an example of that. Lean into these sorts of guys, because they're really elite.”

NBL commentator Pete Hooley believes this move by the Heartland club is a ‘no-brainer’.

“To have a guy that is that influential and dominant on the court, who doesn’t need the ball, as one of your starting points [when building a team] is great for the Phoenix,” Hooley said.

“He’s playing better [each week] and is a massive part of everything they achieve, so I’d probably want to get it done before he wins some NBL awards, because as they say, ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price’.”

The third-placed Phoenix return to the court on Saturday night when they host Tasmania from 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.