Jonah Bolden hopes to reinvigorate his career in Cairns while South East Melbourne Phoenix have signed ex-NBA player Skylar Mays in their push for a maiden NBL title.
Mays, who played 114 NBA games between 2020 and 2024, will partner co-captain Nathan Sobey in the back-court for the 2026/27 season that begins in September.
More than half of Mays' NBA appearances were for the Atlanta Hawks across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
We're looking forward to having Skylar Mays in the Heartland for NBL27! đź’š pic.twitter.com/UWvwN80AIW
— South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) July 28, 2026
The 191cm guard counted Australians Duop Reath and Matisse Thybulle as teammates when joining Portland for the 2022/23 season before a brief stint with the LA Lakers.
Mays most recently played for Montenegrin side Budućnost and is the Phoenix's second import after the acquisition of American countryman D'Shawn Schwartz.
The Phoenix have one local and one import slot left to fill on their roster as they look to build on two consecutive semi-final series exits.
Mays' arrival comes only days after the club re-signed coach Josh King.
Elsewhere, cross-town rivals Melbourne United have landed their first import signing in ex-NBA big man Josh Oduro.
Oduro played three games for New Orleans Pelicans in April on a two-way contract but spent the majority of the past two seasons with their G League affiliate Birmingham.
The 206cm centre joins star locals Joe Ingles, Luke Travers, Shea Ili and Chris Goulding on the roster for Jacob Chance's first season as coach.
United remain on the lookout for a starting point guard following the exit of Tyson Walker this off-season.
Perth, meanwhile, are in the hunt for a new guard after American David Duke Jnr was released to sign with Pallacanestro Varese in Italy.
Bolden though will head north and complete an intimidating Taipans front court alongside Keanu Pinder and Jack McVeigh.
The 2017 NBA Draft pick, who played with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns, returned home to Australia in 2023 to sign with the Sydney Kings.
Since then, Bolden has suited up for the New Zealand Breakers and Illawarra Hawks, before an Achilles injury ended his 2026 campaign.
The 30-year-old said self-reflection and chat with Cairns coach Adam Forde inspired the move.
"These injuries gave me a window to re-evaluate my approach, who I want to be as a player, as a teammate and what I've got to do to get to a certain level," he said.
"I didn't hit the mark the past few seasons."
In Brisbane, the Bullets have facilitated Josh Duach's return to the league on a development contract.
The 23-year-old was released early from a two-year development deal with Melbourne United in 2024 before impressing for Raiffeisen Flyers Wels in Austria.
And title-winning Illawarra Hawks forward Darius Days has been welcomed back to the club after stints in Puerto Rico, Japan and the Philippines.
The deal comes after guard Tyler Harvey had his Australian citizenship approved, meaning the US-born talent will be eligible for the Boomers and not count as one of Illawarra's three imports.
