The Cairns Taipans officially announced the completion of their roster on Tuesday by signing NBA Draft pick Malique Lewis.

The Trinidad and Tobago talent, who spent the past two seasons as an NBL Next Star with South East Melbourne, joins the Snakes on a two-year deal, with a second-year club option.

During his time with Phoenix, the 21-year-old chalked up 63 games and most recently averaged 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest in NBL26. This form, as well as a strong showing at the 2026 adidas Eurocamp with the Next Stars team, saw the forward selected with the 60th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by Milwaukee.

With this resume and knowledge of the League, Cairns coach Adam Forde is confident Lewis will be a welcome addition to the Taipans' revamped squad.

"It's great to have Malique come to Cairns," Forde said.

"He is already well-versed in the League, so we know what we are getting in the import spot.

"He's a great point of attack defender that can knock down the open three.

"Being a big wing too will help with the rebounding, which is an area of concern for us after our first two pre-season hit-outs.

"Malique's ability to defend multiple positions will also provide unique matchup opportunities for us."

Lewis rounds out Forde's squad, which also features Jack McVeigh, Keanu Pinder, Jaylon Brown, Jonah Bolden, Sunday Dech, Reyne Smith, Jaylin Galloway, Kyrin Galloway, Shaun Bruce and Next Stars Luke Paul.

The Taipans open their NBL27 campaign against the Sydney Kings on Sunday, September 20 at Afterpay Arena.

The Next Stars program has seen seven players drafted in the first round across the last seven NBA Drafts, including LaMelo Ball (2020), Josh Giddey (2021), Ousmane Dieng (2022) and Alex Sarr (2024), all being selected inside the lottery.