Having long turned heads in the G-League and in Europe, Harvey was no surprise packet, but there's no doubt the 27-year-old's stock has risen after finishing second in MVP voting in his first year in Wollongong.

The California native formed a close bond with coach Brian Goorjian, who's on record saying a complement to Harvey at point-guard would be a recruitment priority, while the club will also be looking at the three-four spot.

The Hawks finals run essentially came minus two marquee pieces with Deng Adel - who battled injury and poor form - released before the season was out and Cam Bairstow's campaign also scuppered by injury. Kordahi says it's all part of the equation when free agency officially opens on Monday.

"We're definitely trying to bring Tyler back, that's definitely first priority at the moment," Kordahi said.

"He really enjoyed his time down in Wollongong, we loved him and he loved his experience here as well. His value's definitely gone up from when he first came in so it's just a matter of working with his agent and seeing if we can make it work for him and us.

"He's definitely been a key part of our team, it's just a matter of going through the process and seeing how we make it all fit within budget and also build a team around him as well.

"There are a few options we can go, we can go down the three-import route, we can go with two marquees. Last year was unbelievable for us considering we had two marquees [Deng Adel and Cam Bairstow] that were injured most of the year.

"We're in a position where we can fill two key roles to fill this team out so now's the time we reassess our team and what parts we're missing."

League Most Improved Sam Froling heads a list of returning domestic talent, with Emmett Naar, Dan Grida and Max Darling also under contract. Justinian Jessup has a year to run on his Next Stars deal while young-gun Akoldah Gak will move from development player to full roster spot.

Read more: Hawks new guard grab major NBL gongs

It leaves AJ Ogilvy, Isaac White, Deng Deng and Tim Coenraad as free agents, while the Hawks faithful will also be sweating on the return NBL Defensive Player of the Year and fan-favourite Justin Simon.

Complicating matters is the fact Goorjian is currently occupied with the Boomers Tokyo Olympics campaign, but Kordahi says they remain in daily discussions along with assistant coach Jacob Jackomas who's still in Australia.

"We're keen on Justin [Simon] and the rest of the group we had," Kordahi said.

"He was a massive asset for us, he was a crowd-favourite, he was defensive player of the year and has been fantastic. I know his agent is wanting to get him into Summer League this year as well as much as he wants to come back.

"That's what free agency does, it allows people to see where they are and test the market and see what sort of options they have as well. It's going to be a challenge, Brian being away with the Boomers side, but we're in daily communication, Jacob [Jackomas] is still at home at the moment, so we're working through the free agent list.

"We've set ourselves a very good benchmark first season so the expectations are there and it's definitely our goal to improve on what we've done last season."

The return to three imports, and suggestions the Chinese Basketball Association may ban or place strict limits on foreign players, could see an even more frenzied free agency period in Australia.

It could see a flood of players from Asia and Europe head to the NBL but, having rebuilt a franchise from scratch, Kordahi said an ability to buy into the club's culture will be key.

"It's about dynamics," he said.

"We can build a better side [on paper] next year and finish sixth. We've seen it all before, teams have five All-Stars on their roster but don't work as a group and lose. You get teams with a lot of role players and they win a title.

"It's about balance and having the right pieces who will buy into what we're trying to achieve."

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