Pongrass pens letter to Kings fans ahead of NBL25 free agency

With the NBL25 free agency period tipping off on Monday morning, Sydney Kings CEO Chris Pongrass has penned a letter to the club's fans - outlining their moves thus far and what to look out for in the coming weeks.

Dear Sydney Kings members and fans,

With the dust well and truly settled on NBL24, our focus is squarely on the 2024-25 campaign and returning to being a perennial championship contender.

Since our season wrapped up, we have made swift and noteworthy changes to our coaching staff, including announcing the return of championship-winning head coach Brian Goorjian for the next three years.

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Coach Goorjian, Luc [Longley], Andrew [Bogut] and I, have been working closely over the past month preparing for free agency, set to start on Monday, April 15.

In reflecting on the season just past, it was important to first identify the key player attributes that are necessary for a championship calibre team – toughness, physicality and defensive aptitude are a priority this year.

Throughout the recruitment process, it is essential to overlay these qualities when evaluating each individual signing.

Leading into free agency, it was intentional to retain a certain level of continuity and leadership in our re-signings, while also maintaining enough flexibility to go to market and make the necessary roster adjustments.

Thus, re-signing Shaun Bruce (two years), Kouat Noi (two plus one) and picking up Makuach Maluach’s team option were necessary first steps.

These three add to our returning Next Star Alex Toohey and development player Klairus Amir.

We are particularly excited about Alex’s development and the role we see him playing this year.

Watch the full Brian Goorjian 'The Huddle' chat with Peter Hooley via the Sydney Kings' YouTube channel above. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe, to ensure you never miss out on any of our great videos. 

As we move towards Monday, our immediate attention is to local talent - we have identified a number of free agents, returning college players and locals playing internationally that we are targeting.

There will be some noteworthy player signings to share in the coming weeks.

Once we have locked in our local core, our attention shifts to imports and complimenting the pieces already in place.

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Each year's roster build is an ever-changing puzzle that becomes clearer with each piece we add; we remain dynamic in our approach but execute on our core principles.

I understand for you Kings fans this is always a thrilling time, anxiously waiting to see who will take the floor in NBL25 – we are confident you will be excited with the group we put together.

As well as roster updates, the club is working on new projects that will all be revealed in due time - so keep an eye on our channels during the off-season.

While it is still months away, we can't wait to see all of you loyal members and fans at our first home game of NBL25 at Qudos Bank Arena, which will lay the platform for another incredible season in the purple and gold.

Sydney Kings CEO, Chris Pongrass.