Dash Daniels' journey as a member of the NBL Next Stars program will continue in his home state of Victoria, with the rising Australian guard signing with the South East Melbourne Phoenix for the 2026-27 season.
It's a short geographical move for Daniels - the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks and Australian Boomers guard, Dyson - who's moving to the Phoenix after a lone season with Melbourne United, with hopes of raising his NBA Draft stock in the process.
Daniels is coming off a season with United where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, starting 11 contests; the 6'5 athlete with defensive upside will now join a team whose head coach, Josh King, puts an emphasis on guarding aggressively up the floor, while encouraging a democratic, free-flowing style of offense.
"I've seen firsthand how the Phoenix play and it's a style that I'm excited to be involved with; the focus on defence and picking up 94 feet is something I'm looking forward to," Daniels said.
"They've got great facilities, great coaches and I've played with a few of the guys during my time with the Boomers, so I'm keen to get started in the Heartland."
Once the 2025-26 season came to an end, mutual interest between Daniels and the Phoenix developed, with the 18-year-old eventually committing to the franchise for his second year in the Next Stars program.
"We are super excited about Dash joining South East Melbourne and the opportunity for him to play under one of the best young head coaches in global basketball," Next Stars GM, Liam Santamaria, said.
"The Phoenix are a fantastic club, on and off the court, with a world-class coaching staff and an elite high-performance team. We believe it's a great fit and are excited for Dash to have a successful second season as a Next Star, while helping South East Melbourne compete for a championship."
The Phoenix are coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history under King, advancing to the semifinals with a 22-11 record.
Daniels - a Bendigo-native - was ranked at No. 40 on ESPN's most recent 2027 NBA mock draft. He earned Best Defender honours at the 2026 Adidas EuroCamp in Treviso, Italy, and was a member of the Boomers team that won gold at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
"We're thrilled to have Dash cross over to us and we see real value in him as not only a player, but a person too," King said.
"He can play on both sides of the ball, defends extremely well and shows great maturity on court at such a young age. We're excited to get started."
With the signing, Daniels joins Akech Aliir, Daniel Foster, Angus Glover, Jordan Hunter, Nathan Sobey, Hunter Goodrick, and Tanner Krebs on the Phoenix's roster. Next Stars don't count toward the 11 rostered players each team is permitted, so the Phoenix still have the ability to sign four more players to its main roster. The team currently has all three import spots vacant.
"Dash has an incredibly high ceiling and continues to develop on both sides of the ball," South East Melbourne's General Manager of Basketball Operations, Simon Mitchell, said.
"He has the capacity to play multiple positions, and I feel like our game style will allow him to showcase his talents. We're excited to play a role in his development and give him access to some of Australia's best basketball facilities at the State Basketball Centre and assist him in his ultimate goal of being drafted to the NBA."
Daniels joins Luke Paul (Cairns Taipans) as confirmed members of the Next Stars program going into the new NBL season.
You can watch the 2026-27 NBL season live on ESPN and Disney+.