Why Australia is a "destination market"

While the Adelaide 36ers may have already completed their roster, General Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Weston is still putting in the work at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

“It’s looking for future years,” he said.

“I don’t like to come to Summer League and look for that season, because it can get pretty tight.

“It’s about next year and the year after. Be able to follow players and see how they go in this environment.”

The 36ers have re-upped a squad that fell agonisingly short of a championship last season.

With Bryce Cotton locked in and all three imports, Zylan Cheatham, Nick Rakocevic and John Jenkins, re-signing, Weston believes attracting high-level talent is becoming easier than ever.

“Australia is a real destination market now,” he added.

“Agents are saying they really want to get to Australia, so it has come a long way.

“It’s not all about money, because we've got guys coming for the money that we are paying, which is still very good, maybe not where those European or Japanese teams are, but they get to live in Adelaide on the beach for seven eight months and love life.”

The 36ers have attracted some of the League’s best imports in recent years, and their ability to retain them across multiple seasons further reinforces Weston’s point.

“The league is really well respected,” he said.

“Theres a lot of big time agents out of Europe calling … the weather, English speaking, it’s a great competition, it's live on tv and you get a lot of exposure.

“Players are like ‘yeah, I’ll take a little haircut on the price, but I’m only going to do it for seven months and then I’ll go to Puerto Rico or China and earn really good money and only live there two months a year.”