The Hungry Jack’s NBL26-27 off-season looms as a pivotal one for the Tasmania JackJumpers, with only four players under contract next year.

Those four include NBL26 stars Josh Bannan and Nick Marshall, and young duo Kobe Williamson and Archie Woodhill.

That essentially gives coach Scott Roth a blank slate to work with, as he tries to take the JackJumpers back to the NBL summit.

A big part of the club’s original rise and NBL24 championship was Will Magnay, who is off contract after spending the past five seasons on the Apple Isle.

In February, the Tasmania skipper expressed his desire to extend his time in Tasmania, saying, “I love it here, I love this club, this is my home, and somewhere I want to be”.

But a couple of weeks later, on SEN Tassie, coach Scott Roth explained that while there was a mutual interest for an extension, there also had to be some “give and take’ in negotiations.

This is because the 2024 Olympian has only played 97 times in the past five seasons, which represents 56 per cent of all Tasmania’s games.

“With Mags, there has to be some give and take contractually with what the liability is for both parties,” Roth said.

“We’ll have those conversations with Mags [over the next few weeks] to see if there’s a happy medium, due to his injury history.”

Intrigued by both Roth’s comments and that situation between Magnay and the club, NBL commentator Pete Hooley weighed in during the latest episode of The Marketplace, presented by Paywise.

“We’ve said all year that he [Magnay] is going to be one of the highly sought-after free agents, despite his availability in games over the past few years,” Hooley said.

“As Roth said, when it comes to that negotiation, there has to be some give and take on that because you’ve got to prepare for him not being on the floor.

“We can all attest to when Will Magnay is healthy and on the floor, he is one of, if not the best two-way big in the league.

“His rim protection [is elite], and we’ve started to see a bit more of his offensive game this year, which I really liked.

“I’d love to see that, and I feel like he loves Tasmania. Tasmania loves him, but the best ability when it comes down to it is availability.”

While 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker appreciates the injury sentiment, he also backed the big man to ‘get his money’.

“I’m asking for the same contract if I’m Magnay, I’m not coming down off of my number,” Rucker said.

“I have a number that will exist in the market, and if you don’t meet it, then that will precipitate me looking elsewhere and getting my value.”

ESPN’s Olgun Uluc echoed that thought, calling Magnay one of the ‘top five impact players in the league’.

“If you’re Will Magnay, who’s 27, his goal will be to maximise the remainder of his career financially,” Uluc said.

“If the Tasmania JackJumpers are not going to do that, then it would not be unreasonable for him to go and assess his other options, because there might be another team in the NBL who says, ‘we’ll pay you what you’re worth, and we’ll ignore the durability issues that you’ve experienced in the past’.

“[I know] there’ll be teams around the league that will be prepared to pay almost double the amount that the JackJumpers.”

Another key piece for the JackJumpers has been guard Sean Macdonald, who missed the entire NBL26 campaign due to a knee injury.

“After Magnay, he [Macdonald] is priority number two in my opinion,” Rucker said.

“He’s got good size, shoots the ball well and has no apparent weakness in his game.

“When you have that local point guard [like Macdonald], and you bookend it with a local big, alongside a third piece like Josh Bannan, you’re right there. You’re a top-four team.”

>> Championship Series schedule, tickets & how to watch

Two of the other names discussed by the panel during the episode were 2025-26 All-NBL Second Team selection Bryce Hamilton and Tasmanian product Taran Armstrong, who is currently plying his trade for Dubai in the EuroLeague.

A multi-year deal is reportedly being discussed for the import.

“He [Hamilton] is a young professional who was really good at times this season,” Rucker said.

“I think he is going to continue to get better over the next three to four seasons and he is worth a multi-year investment even with the injury.

“I hope it stays with Tasmania, because they have enough of an infrastructure in that playing group whereby he can come back a little bit slower and take his time with his rehab.”

While Hooley says Tasmanian product Armstrong is someone the JackJumpers could ‘build their franchise around’, Uluc explained that Dubai Basketball ‘really likes him’, and the money he’s on could be an issue.

“Taran Armstrong is on substantial money in Dubai right now, and it’s not a number that NBL teams can match,” Uluc said.

The NBL26 Championship Series, between Sydney and Adelaide, continues on Friday from 7.30pm AEDT on Friday, live on ESPN and 10 Drama.