The Sydney Kings would consider cutting a player to make room for Xavier Cooks, but concede he is unlikely to return to the NBL this season.
Australian representative Cooks won two championships with the Kings before joining the NBA's Washington Wizards on a four-year contract late last season.
He played 10 games of the 2022/23 NBA campaign and featured in the Summer League in July, but was waived on the eve of the new season, which tipped off Wednesday (AEDT).
His axing came after fellow Australians Jack White and Duop Reath were respectively cut by NBA sides Oklahoma City and Portland at the 11th hour.
While Reath has since re-joined the Trail Blazers on a two-way contract, the Wizards have already exhausted their allocation of those deals, which split a player's time between the NBA and G-League.
Cooks' own future is therefore in limbo as he explores opportunities in the NBA, with the EuroLeague another option.
The Kings are in regular contact with Cooks' management, who look after a handful of their other players, and have reached out since Washington axed him.
"While we'd love to see him back in a Sydney Kings jersey, he's got ambitions and the ability to remain over in the NBA," Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass told AAP.
"I expect that he's either going to get an NBA opportunity or whether he decides to explore European opportunities, we'll continue to remain in close contact with him."
Cooks' Kings deal had a clause that permitted him an early release if he found an opportunity in the NBA.
But the clause gave Sydney first right of refusal if he did want to come back to the NBL during the final two seasons of his old contract with the club.
The Kings had a similar situation with Dejan Vasiljevic earlier this month after the championship guard pulled the pin on exploring overseas opportunities.
Sydney, without a vacant roster spot, permitted Vasiljevic to sign with NBL rivals the Adelaide 36ers.
But any potential return for the NBL's reigning MVP would pose a different situation.
The Kings will not rule out cutting a player to clear the way for their former star player.
"I'm not going to go into detail on what that would entail, it's based on the timing of it all," Pongrass said.
"That's always a decision you'd have to take when it happens.
"If there's ever a point that he wants to return and we've got the first right of refusal on him, we'll pick that up no matter what and whatever that entails, we'll figure it out at the time.
"If Xavier's returning to the NBL, there's no question we're making sure he's in a Sydney Kings jersey. There's absolutely no doubt there."
