Luke Travers

On 1 August 2019, Travers signed with the Perth Wildcats as a development player for the 2019–20 NBL season.[12] His elite athleticism and ability to play multiple positions made him an attractive option for the Wildcats.[10] Regarded as one of Australia's most sought-after basketball prospects, he had interest from a number of colleges in the United States,[10] but indicated his desire to turn professional due to a lack of motivation at school.[13] In his debut for the Wildcats on 1 December 2019, he had three points, four assists and two rebounds in roughly 11 minutes in a 99–88 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.[14] On 20 December 2019, he opted to forgo college basketball and begin his professional career, signing a three-year contract extension with the Wildcats.[15][16] He played four games during the season[17] and was a member of the Wildcats' championship-winning squad in March 2020.[18][19]

During the West Coast Classic in 2020, Travers had a five-game stint with the Cockburn Cougars,[13] averaging 17.8 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.[20]

Continuing on as a development player in the 2020–21 NBL season, Travers was thrust into a much larger role during the preseason, starting in both of the Wildcats' preseason games against the Illawarra Hawks.[21] While mostly a traditional wing player, he added strength to his frame over the off-season and was assigned the starting power forward role.[21] He was replaced in the starting line-up by Jarred Bairstow midway through the season,[22] with Travers later stating he got complacent in the role and was forced to work his way back into starting contention.[23] On 28 March 2021, he went 6-of-6 from the field for 16 points off the bench in an 89–65 win over the Sydney Kings.[24] A season-ending injury to Bryce Cotton saw Travers return to the starting line-up as a guard at the back-end of the regular season and in the semi-finals.[25] On 27 May, he had 16 points and eight rebounds in an 81–67 win over the Kings.[26] In the 2–1 semi-final series win over Illawarra, Travers averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and three assists per game.[25] He went on to miss the first two games of the grand final series against Melbourne United with a calf injury,[27][28][29] returning in game three to record nine points and six rebounds off the bench in an 81–76 series-ending loss.[30][31]

On 1 July 2021, Travers signed with the Mandurah Magic for the rest of the 2021 NBL1 West season.[32][33] However, he was never cleared by the Wildcats medical staff to play for Mandurah.[34]

Travers entered the 2021–22 NBL season as a fully contracted player[35] and earned the rank of number 83 in ESPN's top 100 NBA draft rankings.[36] On 5 December 2021, he had a career-high 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 90–67 win over the Cairns Taipans.[37][38] On 5 February 2022, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 101–79 win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.[39] He averaged 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game during the 2021–22 season, playing both inside and outside roles while also periodically running the offense.[40]

On 24 April 2022, Travers declared for the 2022 NBA draft.[41] He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th overall pick.[42] He joined the Cavaliers for the 2022 NBA Summer League,[43] where he averaged 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in five games.[44]

Travers re-joined the Wildcats for the 2022–23 NBL season.[45] He helped the Wildcats return to the finals by recording 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the regular-season finale against the Sydney Kings.[46] In 29 games, he averaged 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.[47]

Travers parted ways with the Wildcats on 30 March 2023.[48]

On 17 April 2023, Travers signed a three-year deal with Melbourne United.[49][50][51] Three months later, he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2023 NBA Summer League championship.[52][53][54] He played in each of Cleveland's five games, averaging 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.[54]

While initially signed by United to fill a power forward role, Travers was trialled as a point guard during pre-season.[55] In his debut for United on 28 September 2023, he scored a game-high 20 points in an 82–67 win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.[56]