Illawarra Hawks Prepare to Cut Darius Days After NBL27 Opener

Illawarra’s title defence has barely started, and already the axe is swinging.

After just one game of the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season, the Illawarra Hawks are preparing to part ways with import forward Darius Days, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.

Days, a key piece in the Hawks’ NBL25 championship run, logged fewer than seven minutes in Sunday’s 95–81 loss to the New Zealand Breakers. His stat line told the story of a night on the fringes: 3 rebounds, no points, and little chance to influence a game that quickly slipped away.

The decision, Uluc reports, was communicated to Days on Tuesday. It marks a ruthless early call on a player with proven credentials in the league, and underlines just how little patience exists for slow starts in a season loaded with expectation.

Illawarra are now weighing up a move for an import centre to bolster the frontcourt and ease the load on starting big man Sam Froling. The need is obvious. New Zealand’s size and physicality exposed the Hawks inside, and the front office has wasted no time searching for a stronger interior presence.

One game in, and the rotation is already being rewritten.

The Hawks are back on court on Friday, September 25, when they face the Brisbane Bullets at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. By then, the message will be clear across the locker room: reputations from NBL25 mean little in NBL27.