The Sydney Kings have reportedly signed former NBL Defensive Player of the Year and NBA veteran Torrey Craig, while the Adelaide 36ers have added NBA veteran John Jenkins following the mutual parting of ways with Troy Brown Jr after just 13 games. Meanwhile, Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has provided a candid update on the health of Tyson Walker as the NBL contenders aim to halt their recent slide down the ladder.
All of this and more in the latest edition of NBL Daily.
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The Sydney Kings have reportedly signed Torrey Craig for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
According to CODE Sports, Craig joins the Kings with just two days remaining before the NBL qualification deadline on 15 January.
Craig, 35, is no stranger to the NBL, having begun his professional career with the Cairns Taipans in 2014 after leaving USC.
He went on to play 88 NBL games with Cairns and Brisbane before moving to the NBA in 2017, where he featured in 538 games with Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indiana, Chicago, and Boston. Since departing the Boston Celtics, Craig has not played professionally.
The veteran is also familiar with NBL success, having earned the 2017 NBL Defensive Player of the Year award with the Brisbane Bullets, averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game that season.
Craig’s signing comes a week after the Kings confirmed that their star marquee defender Bul Kuol would miss the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury.
ADELAIDE SIGN NBA VETERAN
The Adelaide 36ers have wasted no time replacing Troy Brown Jr, who was released less than 12 hours ago following a mutual termination with the club.
According to ESPN, the 36ers are set to acquire 34-year-old American guard John Jenkins, a 6’4 sharpshooter with more than 170 NBA games to his name.
Jenkins most recently played in Romania for CS Vâlcea 1924, whom he joined in December last year. In five appearances, he averaged 23.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting an impressive 41.5 per cent from three-point range.
Jenkins has made 179 NBA appearances with New York, Washington, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta – the team that selected him with the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft – bringing a wealth of experience to the NBL’s top side.
Considered a journeyman, Jenkins has also played across the globe in Puerto Rico, China, Spain, Israel and Russia.
While the move is yet to be officially confirmed, the 36ers must register Jenkins before January 18 for him to be eligible, although he is not required to suit up until January 25 when Adelaide face the Sydney Kings.
FoxSports.com.au understands the new import is expected to join the team during this weekend’s HoopsFest.
TROY BROWN JR MUTUALLY PARTS WAYS WITH 36ERS.
The Adelaide 36ers have confirmed the mutual release of import Troy Brown Jr in a statement issued by the club.
Brown Jr requested to return to the United States for personal reasons, with Adelaide agreeing to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
General Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Weston thanked Brown Jr for his professionalism during his time with the club.
“Troy has been nothing but professional since arriving in November, but we respect his desire to head home and thank him for what he brought to our group,” Weston said.
“We will move quickly to find a suitable replacement for the remainder of the season.”
Brown Jr signed with Adelaide in November, entering the NBL with an impressive résumé.
The former No. 15 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft had played more than 350 games across stints with Washington, Chicago, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers, where he suited up alongside LeBron James.
During his time with the 36ers, Brown Jr appeared in 13 games, averaging 4.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21 minutes per game.
The club has confirmed it is targeting a replacement import before January 18, the final day teams are permitted to sign players under NBL rules.
UNDERMANNED KINGS SIDE TAKE DOWN UNITED.
An undermanned Sydney Kings produced one of their most resilient wins of the season, edging United 97-94 in a gripping contest at Qudos Bank Arena that was also marred by an early exit for star guard Matthew Dellavedova after a suspected concussion.
For United specifically, however, Vickerman revealed concern over star guard Tyson Walker, who is battling through injury while carrying a heavy workload.
“I’m asking so much of Tyson,” he said.
“He’s playing hurt right now and hasn’t practiced for a while. He’s at a tipping point, so I’m scared about it. We’ve got to win games, but we don’t need to break another point guard either.”
Since Round 13, Walker is averaging a team-high 33.6 minutes per game, along with 16.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
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Speaking on the game and result more broadly, Vickerman conceded his side simply did not do enough.
“Credit to them [Sydney] – coming back from New Zealand, limited prep, bodies down,” he said.
“It was a great opportunity for us to come in and get a win. It’s not good enough.”
Melbourne showed improvement from long range, hitting 11-of-36 from three-point territory (30.5%), but Vickerman said the gains were not enough to change the outcome.
“We went 1-of-28 from three the last time we played them,” he said.
“We talked about the quality of looks we needed. I thought in the first half there were a lot of good ones that we shot. The bench, though – we needed to get more out of it tonight.”
Star import Jesse Edwards led United with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists, earning praise from his coach.
“When they play as small as they did, the challenge is how you keep centers on the floor,” Vickerman said.
“I thought he handled that pretty well tonight. At times he was dominant around the rim. Credit to what he did to stay on the floor against that smaller group.”
The result sees United slip to fourth on the ladder for the first time this season, overtaken by the Kings, who further strengthened their hold on a top-four finals spot.
With a 2-8 record since the FIBA break, Melbourne now has eight games remaining to turn its season around, starting with a HoopsFest clash against the in-form Tasmania JackJumpers.
KINGS SWEAT ON DELLY UPDATE
Elsewhere, already without Xavier Cooks and Bul Kuol, the Kings were further tested when Matthew Dellavedova left the game in the second quarter following an accidental collision with Next Star Dash Daniels.
But in front of a season-high crowd of 12,634, Brian Goorjian delivered a masterclass from the sidelines, guiding his depleted group to a stirring victory and extending United’s troubling run of form since the FIBA break.
Speaking post-match, an emotional Goorjian struggled to contain his pride.
“Just raw emotion,” he said.
“I think when you’re coaching, the thing is to be yourself. I’m active on the sideline, but I try to stay controlled and teach while I’m out there. After the game you shake hands, but there was just too much going through me. I’m so proud of where our guys went tonight.
“The whole thing was really ‘next man up’ and guts.”
Despite the absence of two marquee players in Cooks and Kuol, Goorjian said belief within the group never wavered.
“You look in the locker room and see all those guys in street clothes, but you look at the group you’ve got and say, ‘I’ve got a gutty group’,” he said.
“I said before the weekend I’m excited about the guys I get to coach because they’re incredible people, and there’s a true belief within the group.”
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The win was not without concern, however, with Dellavedova finishing with 11 points, two rebounds and one assist in just 11 minutes before being ruled out with a suspected concussion.
Goorjian said the veteran guard remains in doubt for Sydney’s HoopsFest clash with the Brisbane Bullets.
“No report on that. Door closed. They’re dealing with that and we’ll see,” he said.
“At this point, he’s going through assessment right now.”
Dellavedova has a well-documented history with concussions, which previously sidelined him for months during his NBA career and even raised retirement concerns in 2021.
On the court, Jaylin Galloway produced a career night, pouring in a game-high 27 points on an ultra-efficient 10-of-11 shooting from the field.
MVP candidate Kendric Davis was again instrumental, adding 23 points, three rebounds and six assists to steer the Kings home.