Landale Lands First NBA Contract with Spurs, Mills Heads to Brooklyn

What a week it has been for former Gaels. Jock Landale and Patty Mills have been headlining the impressive run for the Australian National Team at the Tokyo Olympics, but also making moves back in the United States. Announced this week, Landale is heading to the NBA for the first time after signing a two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Just prior to that announcement, Mills signed a two-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

This is the first NBA contract for the Melbourne-native, who is coming off of an MVP-season with Melbourne United in the NBL. There were rumblings that Landale might land his first NBA contract after a stellar 2019-20 season with Lithuanian EuroLeague outfit Zalgiris, but Landale found himself in the NBL instead. That MVP season saw Landale shoot 54.5% from the floor, 38.9% from beyond the arc, and average 16.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while adding 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest.

Not only did Landale take home MVP honors in the NBL last season, he was the main cog in Melbourne United winning the NBL Grand Final in a 3-0 sweep over the Perth Wildcats. While his performance in the NBL certainly played a role, what Landale has been doing alongside current NBA starts with the Boomers is standing out, averaging nearly 13 points and five rebounds per game through the first five games of Olympic play.

The Spurs signed Landale to a two-year contract following the departure of fellow Boomer and former Gael Patty Mills, who signed a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets after spending ten seasons in San Antonio. The contract is reportedly worth $12 million, and puts Mills on a Brooklyn team that features Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Mills averaged 10.8 points per game during the 2020-21 season, including a career-best 161 three-pointers made.

With Landale now in the NBA, he joins current Boomer teammates Mills and Matthew Dellavedova as recent Gaels to play in the NBA. Dellavedova recently announced he will be joining the NBL after spending the last eight seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks. 

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