The Perth Wildcats will begin an immediate search to replace injured import Devondrick Walker after he sustained a serious foot injury on Monday.

In a major blow to the club’s bid for a hat-trick of titles, Walker fractured his left foot during a training drill.

The injury will sideline him for most of the NBL season.

The setback continues Perth’s dramas with imports in the past 12 months. Last year they signed Jaron Johnson, replaced him with Andre Ingram, lost Ingram, re-signed Johnson and then replaced him with brilliant guard Bryce Cotton.

Walker’s relationship with Cotton proved pivotal in his decision to join the club.

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The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Wildcats have pre-season games against the Adelaide 36ers in Eaton next Friday and Margaret River two days later.

They will then travel to Victoria for three matches as part of the NBL Blitz against the 36ers, New Zealand Breakers and Melbourne United before interstate games against the Cairns Taipans and Sydney Kings

Walker loomed as a valuable scoring option after dual MVP Casey Prather left the club.

Prather signed with Melbourne and will form a potent combination with Casper Ware and Chris Goulding.

Wildcats fans won’t have to wait long to see Prather in action, given United travel to Perth on October 20.

But Wildcats vice-captain Greg Hire said the players felt no animosity towards Prather.

Camera Icon Prather (left) made a dynamic combination with Bryce Cotton in last year’s finals. Credit: Getty Images

Hire revealed the American contacted his former teammates to tell them of the switch as soon as he agreed to terms with United.

“You build a bond and winning championships helps to strengthen that,” Hire said.

“Upon knowing he was signing for Melbourne, he dropped me a note and I’m sure he dropped a couple of notes to a few of the other guys.

“He told us he hoped we didn’t hate him and that it was for family reasons. You’ve got to respect that from a player. There’s absolutely no animosity.

“I’ve battled against him for the last two years, every single day. It was a fun time every training session.

“From a good standpoint, I know his strengths and weaknesses. There might not be too many of those. I’ll relish the opportunity to go against him.”

Hire said pre-season games at regional and interstate venues would be a crucial part of the team’s preparation, giving players the chance to bond.

With Perth’s other new import Derek Cooke Jr adjusting to life in Australia, Hire said travelling as a team was beneficial.

“It’ll be good to share time with our teammates and learn more about each other,” he said.

“The road trips are different. They’ve never experienced travelling for four or five hours, or if you’re travelling to Cairns it is a whole day. If you’ve got good rapport, it definitely helps.”