Veteran guard Patty Mills may be nearing a return to the NBL, with at least one major Australian team expressing interest in signing him for the 2025-26 season.
According to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc and Pete Hooley on The Marketplace, a large-market franchise in the NBL has held conversations with Mills, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The 36-year-old last played in the NBL during the 2011 NBA lockout, when he suited up for the Melbourne Tigers before returning to the NBA.
Mills split the 2024-25 season between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 4.4 points in 17 games for Utah before being traded in February.
After arriving in Los Angeles, he played limited minutes across 12 games, averaging 3.1 points while shooting 50% from three-point range.
The Clippers acquired Mills alongside Drew Eubanks in exchange for Mo Bamba, P.J. Tucker, a future second-round pick, and cash.
His brief stint in L.A. reunited him with former teammates Kawhi Leonard and Ben Simmons, but Mills only appeared in one playoff game for the Clippers for just under four minutes.
As his NBA options diminish, NBL teams are reportedly monitoring his status in hopes that the veteran chooses to return home for the twilight of his career.
Uluc reported that Mills is considered one of the names teams are patiently waiting on, as several franchises prepare for late-signing opportunities depending on how the NBA free agency period unfolds.
Despite his reduced role this season, Mills brings a résumé that includes over 900 career NBA games, an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, and longstanding leadership with the Australian national team.
