NBL bosses have multiple discussions running separately with NBA and NBA D League officials about ways to boost the NBL's international standing. The league is also seeking to play a annual champions game between the NBL champions and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) champions at the end of each season. Any connection between NBL players and the NBA competitions would be a welcome addition as stars like Chris Goulding and Thomas Abercrombie have previously earned spots in the tournament but struggled for fair game time. "Whether there is an opportunity for an Australian team to play in the D League or more opportunity for NBL athletes to participate in the D League there are different conversations," Loeliger said. "But there is also opportunities to do something with the D League Select team who play in the summer league.

"We would love to look at opportunities to play them whether over here or in the US." Extending the season itself is difficult as it's cramped between the end of the AFL and NRL Finals and finishes as the winter codes are starting up. Imports with NBA aspirations have also made the NBL a destination of choice since they went to the shorter season as players can return to America and attempt to earn an NBA contract or make more money finishing the European season. Loeliger said the league was too dormant between March and October. "It's a very long, cold offseason for us and we aren't very relevant once the season finishes because we don't have a draft and we don't have trading windows that other codes have," Loeliger said.

With FIBA to adopt "soccer style" international windows from 2017, the NBL will need to pause during windows in November and February due to the number of Australian and New Zealand internationals in the NBL. NBA players won't be released for the windows during the NBA season so local or European based players would be called up for the Boomers or Tall Blacks. This would likely force the league to either start earlier or finish later, something which will be difficult. But Loeliger also sees opportunities in these windows and is looking into having some form of NBL all-star side face a CBA all-star side. The league invited two CBA sides to play in this year's preseason tournament, the Australian Basketball Challenge (ABC), but were only able to draw two of the weaker sides who also didn't have their full compliment of imports.

But Loeliger is confident next year's ABC will have a much stronger international contingent with NBL bosses aiming to lure elite European sides to come out to Australia. It will be a costly exercise but Loeliger and the league want to show the quality of NBL sides matches those in Europe. "We will be aiming for Euro Cup or Euroleague clubs and the higher end of those clubs," Loeliger said. "That is the level of club we think would match up well with the top end of NBL teams and we want to demonstrate that to the rest of the world - show our guys can go toe to toe with any club in the world." The league has continued to build connections with the CBA and will likely send an All-Australian team on an overseas tour again during the offseason while the league is also looking into running a talent combine in either or both of China and The Philippines as the NBL wants to add more Asian players to its ranks.

NBL clubs have also been asked about their interest in taking some home games to Canberra, Newcastle, the Northern Territory or Tasmania next season. The NBL also wants to take a bigger role in developing the next generation of NBL players so could enter sides in the winter-based South East Australian Basketball League in future seasons. The NBL will also run its own talent combine in 2017 to give clubs a close look at fringe players from the SEABL and state leagues. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it and SEABL certainly ain't broke, it's a fantastic league," Loeliger said. "We would like to get behind it, support it whether its helping them commercialise the league or it could be us putting some teams in SEABL.

"We certainly want to work in partnership with Basketball Australia and SEABL to make sure we are growing it."