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MANY considered him in the "top three" of NBL free agents this season and it was finally Melbourne which took on the services of former Wildcats tyro Luke Travers ... and for the next three years while Perth goes through what appears to be a rare rebuild this off-season.

The Wildcats unloaded contracted championship pair Mitch Norton and Todd Blanchfield and likely still will be paying some part of their contracts at new destinations.

Norton joins a burgeoning Brisbane Bullets backcourt for two years - Nathan Sobey, Isaac White, Sam McDaniel already there - and Blanchfield is back at Illawarra Hawks for two years.

John Rillie has secured Keanu Pinder to join Bryce Cotton, Corey Webster and David Okwera, with plenty of scope for some positive surprises at Perth.

But Melbourne, which already has secured Jo Lual-Acuil and Ariel Hukporti, now looms as the biggest success story of the off-season.

Travers has shown glimpses of rare athleticism and some NBA moves, but his inconsistency and occasional casual on-court demeanour should be erased under Dean Vickerman's tutelage at United.

Free agent Brad Newley is expected to return for a season and to regale teammates on the bench with advice he gave James Naismith about cutting the bottom out of the peach baskets.

David Barlow looks likely to join Vickerman's staff, which thinned out with assistant Justin Schueller taking the reins at Brisbane and Darryl McDonald following him there.

Travers, 21 and 200cm, has both guard and forward skills and was greatly coveted by several teams.

United's crosstown rival South East Melbourne has picked up tireless workhorse Matt Kenyon from the JackJumpers and Gorjok Gak from the Bullets.

Anthony Drmic rejoins former 36ers teammate Jack McVeigh, now thriving at Tasmania where Drmic's defence and experience should be an asset.

Former Kings, 36ers and United centre Isaac Humphries is still a free agent, while champion Sydney has retained the bulk of its local roster - Xavier Cooks obviously not under consideration, closing his last NBA game of the 2022-23 regular season at Washington Wizards with a starting role and a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds.