The Atlanta Hawks will have to start their 2024-25 NBA season without the help of its former guard-forward, who has decided to leave the NBA to join Australia's National Basketball League (NBL).

Dylan Windler, the former 26th overall pick in 2019, has put his NBA dreams on hold to join the Perth Wildcats in the upcoming NBL season. Windler spent time playing for four NBA teams, with his most recent being the Los Angeles Lakers and the Hawks.

The news was revealed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype who said the Wildcats is in the process of signing the athlete.

The Perth Wildcats is the winningest franchise in the league with ten championships, most recently in 2020. It has four more titles than second on the list, Melbourne United, Sports Illustrated noted. The team also won the first NBL Cup in 2021.

Dyland Windler's short NBA career

Windler was the 26th pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019. He was sidelined due to injuries and only made his rookie debut the following season, where he played 31 games for the Cavs. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes.

He spent three seasons in Cleveland ('20-'21, '21-'22, '22-'23) before signing a two-way deal with the New York Knicks from free agency. He only played three regular-season games with the team before being cut. He spent some time in the G League, where he broke the record for most rebounds in a game with 33.

In January 2023, the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract, but he was cut again in March. He signed another two-way deal with the Hawks, his third team for the season and the last in the NBA for now.

The former Belmont Bruins guard played in a total of 101 NBA games, averaging 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists with 42.5% shooting.