As Corey Webster looked around at his Breakers team-mates dispersing after a Saturday morning scrimmage at their Atlas Place headquarters, he was asked if he'd contemplated the prospect it could be the last time he trains with these guys.

"I hope so," he shot back, breaking into a chuckle. It's funny how the perspective changes when the National Basketball Association comes calling.

Webster leaves late on Saturday to join the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans for three days of workouts in front of head coach Alvin Gentry and his assistants next week. From there they will decide if they want the 25-year-old Breakers and Tall Blacks shooting guard to come to training camp where he will compete for a roster spot that is very much up for grabs.

It is the chance of a lifetime for Webster, a young man who has come such a long way since his troubled days of old, and one he is determined to make the most of.

His unflappable confidence, unswerving belief in his own abilities and outstanding offensive skillset are going to give him a very good chance of turning this hint of an opening into a full NBA contract worth, potentially, millions of dollars.

Thus the hard-nosed attitude about not coming back as a Breaker. He knows the scene, he's been around the traps enough to know that if you go to an opportunity like this with anything but full focus, utter commitment and out and out belief, you're going to be sat on your bum and spat out the other end.

"It's the dream, it's what I want," Webster said. "But I pay all respect to the Breakers for helping me get here. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They've helped me so much along this journey.

"Hopefully I don't come back but this will always be my home, and I'll always have them in my heart."

Things all happened quickly for Webster on Thursday when his Sydney-based management team rang to say the Pelicans wanted to audition him. The original plan had been for him to go in a couple of weeks' time for some workouts which could have led straight into training camp.

Then things hit the fast forward button on Friday when his phone rang again and he was told the New Orleans franchise – the home of superstar big man Anthony Davis – needed him on hand as soon as possible.

It's a huge opportunity for Webster, even though he still has some significant hurdles to clear before he gets near to having a contract waved under his nose.

The fact that the Pelicans actually have a spot to fill gives this North Shore native, and son of Kiwi NBL legend Tony Webster, a legitimate shot, which is not always the case in these situations.

"Obviously I'm not going to go over there and be a star," he said. "I've got to be realistic about it. They're looking for a role. The word is they're looking for a shooter, and that's what I can do.

"I've just got to go over there and play my game and at that level of basketball you have to contribute at both ends of the floor. So defence will be a huge focus for me as well. Offence is what I've been known to do, and I'm going to play my game, but those will be my two focuses."

Webster hasn't heard any specifics about what the Pelicans coaches are looking for, but his agent, former Boomers star Shane Heal, who had two stints in the NBA, has given him a fair idea about what lies in store.

"[He's] saying I've got a real shot if they invite me to training camp. There's a spot available in my position and I'm not just making up the numbers."

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The Kiwi hotshot will head to New Orleans with the words of Heal ringing in his ears.

Like Webster, Heal – who coached the Kiwi at the Wellington Saints – was an undersized shooting guard with the right amount of feistiness and confidence to go with a superb shooting stroke.

That saw him springboard out of the Australian NBL into two NBA stints (with the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs) as well as a string of European hoops hotbeds.

"He's been through training camps, and just told me some key things to focus on, and the things he did to make the team and impress the coaches … I'm there for a reason, and I've just got to play my game and do the things that they need to see from me."

Breakers coach Dean Vickerman was unequivocal about the nature of this development for the club.

Even though it has the potential to torpedo their looming ANBL season – you simply don't replace a player of Webster's game-changing ability at any time, let alone in the shadow of the competition tipoff – he felt it could only be regarded as a massive positive on all fronts.

"It's fantastic news for the club," he said. "People have taken different pathways to the NBA, and obviously there's the college route, but we want to believe that it's a pathway to come and play for the Breakers and play in the Australian league and get noticed."

Vickerman also believed that if Webster was able to complement his outrageous offensive talents with the sort of defensive aptitude that is a must in the NBA, then his young two guard has a legitimate shot at this thing.

"There's a roster spot there, they're looking for a person of his talents, and for the coach to say I need to know more about him even before tryouts, it's a good sign. If he gets over there and competes against NBA guys and shows what he can do, he definitely has a legitimate shot at it."

For the Breakers it's a wait-and-see scenario. They play next week's pre-season series against the Sydney Kings without Webster, and in a week's time they should know whether they get their man back, or possibly lose him for good.

Either way it's a great result.