Former Wollongong Hawks forward Dave Gruber has opened up about his controversial axing in October, claiming he has no hard feelings toward the club.

On the eve of heading back to America with wife Kara and their daughters, Grace and Ruby, Gruber said he had accepted the notion of never again playing for the Hawks.

But the 33-year-old won't rule out returning to Australia to line up with a rival NBL club in the 2015-16 season.

"I don't know where we'll end up, but unfortunately I won't be back in a Wollongong uniform," Gruber said on Monday.

Gruber worked hard to stay in shape after his shock sacking and hoped to be picked up by another team.

"At first when everything happened we were actively seeking a spot on someone else's roster, but as time went on it became pretty tough," he said.

"I was keeping fit and lifting and running and shooting, but there just wasn't any jobs. We started looking at moving on. We looked at the whole situation. Those were the cards we were dealt and what we do with those now is up to us, so we decided to move on from it. There's people out there a lot worse than us."

One of the team's most popular players with fans during his five-year tenure with the club, his exit triggered an unprecedented outpouring of emotion from angry and disillusioned supporters.

Gruber was an important part of the team fabric under coach Gordie McLeod and had every right to be bitter and resentful after being cut.

But he stoically moved on and refused to bad mouth the club he grew to love.

Wollongong's 3-18 record has been nothing but a source of frustration for Gruber, who empathises with his former teammates and coaches.

"We're trying not to hold onto it and we're trying to move on, but it's hard seeing them having such a tough time at the moment," he said.

"I still watch all the games on NBLTV, I talk to the boys, so it's still very much a part of my life. They've been in the last few games and come down to the wire. They haven't rolled over once. I've still enjoyed watching them even though I can't be a part of it.

"Gordie's reached out to see how things are going and see if there's anything he can do. The staff has reached out and it gets easier as time goes on. It was a tough call for everyone to make."

Departing on Wednesday, the Grubers face an uncertain future in America and plan to spend the next few months catching up with friends and relatives.

"We'll explore some employment opportunities over there and basically put our toes in the water and see if that's where we want to be," he said.

"When we had kids we were thinking how we don't have family out here, and that's tough because we want our kids to know their family. We love the area and it's a great place to live and raise a family. We just don't have our family here, and that's what it comes down to for us.

"The community has always been overwhelmingly supporting of us and we've really appreciated that. We've met lifelong friends here and Wollongong will always be a special place for us. We hope at the very least we'll come back and visit when we can."

Grace turns two at the end of the month, while Ruby is almost six months old. Both girls were born in Australia.

"Ruby hasn't met my dad and sister, so that's going to be exciting to introduce one of my daughters to the family they've never met before," Gruber said.

"At the same time, it was an extremely tough call to go because saying goodbye is never easy.

"I've definitely not closed the door on the NBL next year and Kara hasn't quit her job, so we're still keeping it open a little bit."