Joe Ingles plans to return home to Australia and join Melbourne United ahead of the 2026-27 NBL season, a move that sources say he will begin to finalise after his current NBA campaign ends. Ingles, 38, is in the middle of a playoff run with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is expected to complete that postseason before shifting his focus to the NBL.
The decision would mark the latest chapter for a five-time Olympian and 12-year NBA veteran whose career began far from the draft table. Ingles started in the NBA as an undrafted free agent from Australia and, after years abroad, signed with the Utah Jazz as an older rookie at age 27. He went on to play over a combined 600 games for the Jazz between 2014 and 2022, averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 40.6 percent from three during his time in Salt Lake City.
The report, first put forward by Olgun Uluc, said Ingles plans to join Melbourne United and that final steps toward a deal are likely once Minnesota’s season is over. Ingles departed Utah after the end of the 2022 season and has since extended his NBA career, most recently joining the Timberwolves for the current postseason. The timeline laid out by those close to the talks positions the return to Australia as an intention rather than a closed contract — work that will follow the conclusion of the 2025 NBA postseason.
Context matters here: Ingles was not a conventional path-maker. He carved out a long NBA tenure after arriving at the league late, becoming a reliable rotation player and one of the league’s more efficient shooters. Those Salt Lake City years — 2014 to 2022 — are the spine of his NBA résumé, a period in which his shooting and playmaking established him as a known quantity at both ends of the floor.
The friction in this story is immediate and practical. Ingles is still competing at the highest level in the NBA; there is a good chance he will appear on an NBA court for the final time this spring when Minnesota’s run ends. The plan to sign with Melbourne United therefore hinges on the outcome and timing of Minnesota’s playoff games. ‘‘Plans’’ is the operative word: sources framed the move as forthcoming but contingent on how the Timberwolves’ postseason unfolds and on the formalities that follow.
For Melbourne United and Australian basketball, the addition of a five-time Olympian with a dozen seasons in the NBA would be notable on paper — a high-profile return for a player who has lived much of his professional life overseas. For Ingles personally, the shift would bring him back to domestic competition after starting his NBA career as an undrafted player and building longevity through efficient shooting and versatility. Whether this will be a closing curtain for his NBA days is part of the calculation on both sides.
Given the facts on the timeline, Ingles’ move appears likely to be the final substantive turn in a long career in North America. Once Minnesota’s postseason ends, he is expected to move toward finalising the deal with Melbourne United and prepare for the 2026-27 NBL season. If that happens, fans should expect a veteran presence arriving in Australia and, very possibly, the last season in which Ingles appears on an NBA floor.
