Cameron Oliver has signed a two-year deal to return to the Cairns Taipans, the team announced on Monday evening.
The American big-man was among the NBL's standout players during the 2019-20 season, named to the All-NBL Second Team while leading the league in rebounding and at just 24, has the potential to improve on that during his new multi-year contract with the Taipans.
Oliver has an NBA-out clause in his contract and is still being significantly courted by NBA teams going into the November 20 Free Agency, sources told ESPN.
Since the conclusion of the last NBL season -- when he averaged 17.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and recorded 15 double-doubles -- Oliver completed a successful stint with Ironi Nes Ziona B.C. in the Israeli Basketball Super League.
"Cam had a fantastic season and he was a big part of the reason that we made the play-offs," Taipans head coach Mike Kelly said.
"He really fit in with our group, and it was great to see his family make a new home here and embrace the community. The city of Cairns has definitely played a role in their return, and I know they are excited to come back."
Oliver has already arrived in Australia and is in quarantine, sources said.
He's the Taipans' first import signing of the 2020-21 NBL season, with the team confident they'll also see the return of Scott Machado.
"Before Cam came to Cairns, I had watched him on film for two years playing in the G-League, so I knew what kind of calibre player he was ... but I didn't know how quickly he would get back to that level, coming off of that ankle injury," Kelly said.
"But he exceeded our expectations and became a much more consistent and reliable player for us as the season went on. I think his mindset and his approach to the game changed over the course of the year with us and it was really cool to watch his growth in that respect, too."
Oliver joins Mojave King, Kouat Noi, Majok Deng, Nate Jawai, Mirko Djeric, Fabijan Krslovic, Jarrod Kenny, Jordan Ngatai, and George Blagojevic on the Taipans roster for the 2020-21 season, which is on track to begin in mid-January.