Veteran forward Joe Ingles is interested in the idea of returning to his home country to play in Australia’s National Basketball League, Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports within his NBL free agency primer.
Ingles, 38, was a member of the South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. He spent the next several years competing in Spain and Israel, then eventually made the move to the NBA in 2014.
The 6’8″ forward has been stateside for the past 12 seasons, but after playing big minutes in Utah earlier in his career, he has essentially just been a locker room leader for the last couple years in Minnesota. Since joining the Timberwolves in the summer of 2024, Ingles has made 44 regular season appearances and played 216 total minutes (4.9 per game), primarily in garbage time.
The South Dragons no longer exist, but if Ingles were to return to Australia, he could end up playing in Melbourne once again, according to Uluc, who says the Timberwolves forward has already spoken with both Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Adelaide 36ers also reportedly have interest in Ingles and appear to be his most “proactive” suitor so far, Uluc adds.
Ingles is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract in Minnesota, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
He probably saw 38 year old JaVale McGee win his team MVP and went “I can still be an all star at basketball over there”.