Basketball: Almost all Breakers players 'free agents'

No less than 12 New Zealand Breakers basketballers appear on the list of the club's free agents

That means all 12 of those players' contracts are up at the end of the current 2005/06 Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) season, where the Breakers are sitting in second to last place on the table, with just six wins to go with their 21 losses.

The contracts of Mika Vukona, Brant Bailey, Rich Melzer, Aaron Olson, team captain Paul Henare, Clifton Bush, Lindsay Tait, Tim Behrendorff, Casey Frank, Ben Thompson, Brian Green are all up, while there is an option to extend that of Adrian Majstrovich.

Australian giant Ben Pepper is one Breaker with another year to run on his contract.

Although the contracts expire at the end of the season, the Breakers can choose to re-negotiate with the players for new contracts.

The ANBL today released the list of free agents for all clubs and only the West Sydney Razorbacks have as many players as the Breakers on the list, but they have options on four of their players.

Under ANBL rules, clubs can't negotiate with other clubs' players until two weeks after the grand final unless they have the club's permission.

The Perth Wildcats' New Zealander Dillon Boucher is also on the free agents list.

- NZPA