Australian forward Keanu Pinder has signed a one-year deal with the Cairns Taipans, sources told ESPN.
Pinder -- widely regarded as one of the best frontcourt players on the market -- will return to the NBL after spending a season in Japan with the Akita Northern Happinets, rejoining a Taipans team he's had success with in recent years.
The Taipans are coming off a ninth-place finish in the 2025-26 NBL season, but the return of Jack McVeigh and signing of Pinder will give them one of the league's most formidable duos moving forward.
It's a return to Cairns for Pinder, who won back-to-back NBL Most Improved Player awards (2022, 2023) playing for the Taipans, while his 2022-23 campaign under head coach Adam Forde remains the most productive of his professional career to date. During that season, Pinder emerged as MVP candidate, ultimately averaging 17 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBL Second Team.
After two standout seasons in Cairns, Pinder signed with the Perth Wildcats, helping the franchise reach back-to-back semifinals appearances before his stint in Japan, where he averaged 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Pinder joins McVeigh and Reyne Smith as the contracted players on the Taipans as NBL free agency continues.