Three-time NBL champion Casey Prather has signed a two-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets, the team confirmed on Thursday.
The deal will see Prather play out the remainder of the 2023-24 NBL season, with a mutual option on the second year. Prather will take up the spot left by DJ Mitchell, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hip injury.
Prather, a 6'6 wing, last played for Hapoel Eilat in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, but didn't take part in the last two campaigns due to back-to-back season-ending knee injuries.
Prior to that, the now-32-year-old was a member of Melbourne United, helping them to the 2018 NBL championship during his two seasons with the team. Justin Schueller, who's currently the head coach of the Brisbane Bullets, was an assistant coach with United during Prather's stint in Melbourne.
Prather was the only prospective import signing the Bullets engaged with when they learned the severity of Mitchell's injury, sources said.
Prather began his NBL career back in 2015 with the Perth Wildcats, where he led the franchise to back-to-back titles (2016, 2017). Prather's most prolific season was his second campaign in Perth, where he averaged 19.5 points per game.
With the signing, the Bullets will need to take one of Nathan Sobey or Aron Baynes off their marquee classification. An NBL team is only permitted to have four combined marquee players and imports.
The Bullets are currently 7-9 on the season, sitting in seventh place on the ladder.