As we continue to firm up our roster for the 2024 Sal’s NBL we are continuing to get questions from fans about what we’re doing. We’re happy to answer questions – especially with a whole lot coming in after Corey Webster’s signing!
So how have we managed to stay under the salary cap? Read on to find out.
How have the Tuatara been able to sign all of these high-level players and stay under the salary cap?
It is no secret that we have adopted an approach where we spend the great majority of our cap on the starting five.
We had expected to sign four players at elite level to go with two players earning mid-range salaries and the rest on minimum salary or amateur deals.
We had targeted a point guard and a sixth man in the mid-level range but when those players signed elsewhere, we opted to go all-in on the starting five.
We’ve been fortunate to get a few NBL-calibre players agree to play for the minimum because they want to be based in Auckland and so that has afforded us the necessary depth to put the maximum amount of money we could to our starters.
Some players want to play in their home city, others want to play for a certain coach or for a winning franchise – everyone has their own reasons – and that could mean playing for less to be where they want. All paid players on the Tuatara roster could have signed elsewhere for more money – we know this and we appreciate that they are willing to play for us.
In short, we have five players earning elite $$, five players on minimum salaries and the rest are amateur players, which is how we have made it all fit together.
Will it work? Who knows? But it is fair to say we are very happy with the roster we have assembled.
Are the Tuatara done signing players now?
Not quite. While we have spent the majority of our money and the bulk of the roster has been announced, we have one more paid slot and there will be some players on amateur contracts to be announced in the coming weeks. These are important spots, as our depth will be tested at times.
A number of our amateur slots will be filled by players we think could help us in the coming seasons as well. This has been an area we’ve enjoyed some success in since coming into the League. Dontae Russo-Nance, Charlie Dalton and Tom Beattie have had key roles for us over the past couple of years and we expect our amateurs to play a key role again in 2024 with Sky Broadband Rapid League coming in this year.
We have also identified a few players that stand to be very good amateur players for us over the next two or even three years so that is exciting.
What about imports? Are the Tuatara bringing in any imports?
Not right at the moment. We have signed Cam Gliddon, who is technically an import even though he is well connected to the North Shore of Auckland but we have two more import spots available to us.
We’ve gone down the local route with our starting group and don’t have immediate plans to bring in any other imports, particularly with where our salary cap sits at present.
There is a chance we bring an import in mid-season.
Are the players you’ve signed available all season?
This is a great question as it can be hard to work out if a player is signed for an entire season or part of a season when they are announced.
All of the players we have signed will be available for the whole campaign, which is great news.
We know Tom Vodanovich will miss a game (as he’s getting married!!) and Cam will miss an away trip due to his sister’s wedding.
Tall Blacks selection is another thing that could have an impact on availability – any Tall Black picked in the Olympic Qualifying campaign will likely miss three games.
Which teams do you think will be the ones to beat this season?
While we are very excited about what our team looks like we have been impressed with what many other teams are doing as well. It is going to be an awesome League with little separating all teams, which is exactly what we want.
We like what the likes of the Rams, Airs, Saints, Bulls, Jets and Sharks have done but with lots of time left to pick up players, keep an eye on what the other teams do as well. We expect 11 strong teams and no easy games. We have gone out of the blocks early and announced the majority of our roster while other teams have only made a couple of announcements. Little will separate sides on paper when the competition starts.