Well-traveled NBA sharpshooting swingman Dylan Windler is continuing his pro career abroad.
Sources informed Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that the 6-foot-6 small forward/shooting guard has agreed to a one-year deal with Australian National Basketball League club the Perth Wildcats. Olgun Uluc of ESPN subsequently reported that the deal is now official.
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Windler with the No. 26 selection in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Belmont. A leg injury delayed his pro debut until the subsequent 2020-21 season.
Across his 84 contests with the Cavaliers from 2020-2023, Windler logged averages of 3.3 points on .416/.322/.800 shooting splits, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.
He next joined the New York Knicks on a two-way contract last summer. By the time the regular season had tipped off, Windler had worked his way into a slot on New York’s standard roster — only to be waived on December 13.
With the Knicks, Windler only appeared in three games, averaging 2.5 points on 50 percent shooting from the field (48.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc), 0.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Windler also appeared in just three games for New York’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. In those contests, he was considerably more prolific, averaging 15.0 points on .356/.321/.667 shooting splits, a whopping 14.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.7 steals a night.
Next, Windler inked a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He suited up for just eight games, averaging 1.5 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from long range, in just 3.5 minutes a night. In three regular-season contests for the Lakers’ NBAGL squad, the South Bay Lakers, Windler averaged 11.0 points on .393/.294/.750 shooting splits, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks.
Finally, Windler wrapped up his active 2023-24 run with the Atlanta Hawks. Appearing in six games, he averaged 4.7 points on 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and 47.1 shooting from beyond the arc, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.
Windler ran out of eligibility for a two-way deal in the 2024-25 season, meaning his only NBA-adjacent options were to latch on somewhere as an affiliate player for a G League franchise or on a standard roster.
Windler is one of many former draft picks to continue his career abroad. It’s the nature of the beast, as the league at present only has so many standard and two-way roster spots available every season, and Windler has yet to log a particularly major NBA moment.
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So is this jaunt abroad, in one of the more competitive professional leagues beyond the NBA itself, the end for Windler’s ambitions in the NBA proper? Or is it just an exploration before an eventual return?
All told, in 101 career NBA regular season matchups, Windler averaged 3.2 points, 2.1 boards and 0.8 assists a night. He has career shooting splits of .425/.347/.800, with that 3-point conversion rate arriving on 1.7 attempts a night.
The Perth Wildcats are the most successful franchise in the NBL, with a league-leading 10 championships to their credit across their 42 seasons of life.
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