The first step of the 2025 Sal's NBL season commences this Monday November 11 when Free Agency officially opens and teams can start signing players. From 9am players can officially sign an agreement with a team.
With the introduction of the competition's 12th team - the Indian Panthers - the 2025 season will see a minimum of 144 players signed, but that number should go beyond 180 players as teams are likely to sign about 15 players each.
Teams can again sign up to three international players, otherwise known as imports, while a Salary Cap put in place and agreed to by all teams, will again be a key part of how teams recruit over the coming months.
Teams must sign and register a minimum of 12 players, and while they can sign more than 15 players, they cannot register any more than 15 players at a time.
The Indian Panthers have open access to Indian national players (who will not be classed as imports) and can also sign Kiwi players along with the permitted three imports. The Panthers open their season on the road in Hawke's Bay on March 12.
The 2025 schedule has been released and can be found here.
The Free Agency period will also see a number of new or relocated coaches working to assemble a roster, including Tony Webster (Jets), Cam Gliddon (Tuatara), Aaron Young (Saints) and Quinn Clinton (Rams).
Meanwhile, a number of teams will enter Free Agency without a coach, including the Nuggets - who have not re-signed Brent Matehaere and announced last week they will have a new coach in 2025, the Hawks - though there is hope that Sam Gruggen will be returning, the Sharks - who are currently searching for their next leader after Guy Molloy announced he wouldn't be returning for a third year, and the Panthers - who are weighing up their coaching options with a lot of interest in the role since the new team was announced.
The League has also announced the 2025 Trade Window will run for a week (May 5 - May 12) and this will be the only time players can move teams during the season. A slight tweak has been made to the Salary Cap incentive for trading players, with an additional allowance only available to help facilitate (if needed) bringing in the agreement of a player from another team.
