After getting waived by the Phoenix Suns last Friday, David Duke Jr. has found a new home in Australia. The 24-year-old guard has officially signed with the Perth Wildcats for the rest of the 2025–26 NBL season.
Duke had been in camp with Phoenix on an Exhibit 10 deal, hoping to earn a roster spot heading into the year. Once the Suns made cuts, most expected he’d land back in the G League with the Valley Suns, given his steady back-and-forth between the NBA and G League over the past four seasons.
Instead, Duke’s taking his game overseas with a fresh start and a big opportunity with one of the NBL’s most storied franchises and one that Friar fans are already very familiar with.
Duke’s arrival in Perth comes at the expense of another former NBA name — Mason Jones — who parted ways with the Wildcats after just five games. Jones, fresh off an MVP run in the 2025 G League Finals, never quite found his groove with the team.
However, I’m sure the real reason that Jones couldn’t find his footing was that he was attempting to fill the GIGANTIC shoes of PC Legend Bryce Cotton, who moved on to the Adelaide 36ers following 8 incredible seasons with Perth. During his tenure with the Wildcats, Cotton won three NBL championships (2017, 2019, 2020), two NBL Grand Final MVP awards (2017, 2020), and five NBL MVP awards (2018, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025). He was also named to the All-NBL First Team eight times and led the league in scoring in eight seasons. I guess the Wildcats are trying to fill their massive Friar void on their team left by one of the all-time great players in NBL history.
And how’s Bryce Cotton doing on his new team you may ask…just setting an all-time single-game scoring record of 53 points in just his sixth game with them. So, year, not too bad.
So, it looks as though I’ll have even more reason to try and tune into as many NBL games this season as humanly possible.
As always, here is a breakdown of Duke’s professional career timeline thus far:
2025: Perth Wildcats
October 23, 2025: Singed by the Perth Wildcats of the NBL for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
2025: Phoenix Suns
October 17, 2025: Waived by the Phoenix Suns.
September 9, 2025: Signed Training Camp contract with the Phoenix Suns.
2023–2025: San Antonio / Austin Spurs
July 26, 2024: Re-signed with the Spurs on another two-way contract.
July 1, 2024: Received qualifying offer from the San Antonio Spurs.
December 14, 2023: Signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs.
2023: Delaware Blue Coats
October 28, 2023: Joined the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G-League.
October 20, 2023: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
September 11, 2023: Signed Exhibit 10 deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
2021–2023: Brooklyn Nets
April 7, 2023: Signed standard contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
September 16, 2022: Re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets on a two-way deal.
October 16, 2021: Signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
July 30, 2021: Announces deal with Brooklyn Nets as an undrafted free agent.
April 2, 2021: Declares for the NBA Draft, foregoing his Senior season of collegiate eligibility.
The Morning Hangover 