After just four seasons in the NBA, former Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Dylan Windler is headed to the NBL.
According to HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto, the 27-year-old will sign with the Perth Wildcats. With 10 NBL championships, Perth is the winningest club in NBL history. Led by four-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton, they’ll be looking to win their first title since 2020.
The Perth Wildcats are signing Dylan Windler, league sources told @hoopshype. Windler spent four NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, Knicks, Lakers, and Hawks. He adds shooting to Perth, one of the top NBL teams, and holds the G League record for the most rebounds in a game (33). pic.twitter.com/AGlKKvWkJG
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 23, 2024
Like Cotton, Windler is considered an American import. So too is Wildcats forward Kristian Doolittle, a two-time All-Big 12 selection. Per NBL rules, teams are only allowed to roster three American imports at once.
Former Cavs First-Round Pick Dylan Windler Leaves NBA
Windler entered the NBA with expectations of being a solid role player. Leaving Belmont after averaging 19.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.6 3-pointers, and 1.2 steals per game in his final two seasons, he had a unique ability to crash the glass and knock down shots from the perimeter. Indeed, at 6-foot-6 and 196 pounds, he was an elite rebounder for his size.
As luck —or misfortune, rather —would have it, Windler never got the opportunity he expected. Though the Cavs —who drafted him 26th overall in 2019 —were fond of his game, his body wouldn’t cooperate. As a result, he played just 84 games with Cleveland after three seasons. To make matters worse, he’d largely been ailing from leg injuries, which are among the most concerning.
Eventually, the Cavs would move on from Windler, who then signed a two-way contract with the New York Knicks in 2023. The Knicks waived Windler after just six months, signing the grizzled Taj Gibson shortly after. A month later, Windler signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was waived less than two months later in order for the Lakers to sign Harry Giles, a player beloved by fellow athletes, but who hadn’t been in the NBA for two seasons.
Should The Hawks Have Re-Signed Him?
Because his dismissal by the Knicks and Lakers had less to do with him than Gibson and Giles, it made sense when the Atlanta Hawks took a flyer on him shortly after.
It was with the Hawks that his career began to get back on track. In six games, he knocked down eight 3-pointers on 47.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. His play helped him stick with Atlanta through the following Summer League. Then, in Las Vegas, Windler posted 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.9 percent from 3.
Had he not signed with the Wildcats, the Hawks may have considered bringing him back. He played well enough in the regular season and Summer League to justify being re-signed. However, Atlanta has filled all their roster spots, including their two-way slots.
