As NZ Breakers celebrated a hardfought win over Cairns Taipans at the notorious "Snake Pit", Freddie Gillespie's hugs seemed to linger just a little longer than normal.

Word has the American centre leaving soon for a contract with Olimpia Milano in the Italian Lega Basket A and, while his coach remains tightlipped over that prospect, Gillespie seemed to bid his teammates an emotional "arrivederci" as they left the floor at the Cairns Convention Centre after their 77-69 win.

"All those questions are for management, so I'm not here to talk about that," confirmed coach Petteri Koponen. "It is what it is, but Freddie showed great professionalism again.

"He had a great game, nothing else to add to that."

Gillespie, 27, had contributed eight points and eight rebounds, including four at the offensive end, in an efficient 24 minutes off the bench — filling the role he had carved for himself through the opening 10 games of the Aussie NBL season.

He wasn't flashy, he averaged just 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, but led the competition in blocked shots (1.78) and played a key role at the heart of the league-best Breakers defence.

In truth, Gillespie's spot on the roster has probably been tenuous, since he was suspended from the opening game of the Breakers' tabletopping campaign for a headbutt in the pre-season.

While he quickly owned up to the indiscretion, his fate seemed clouded when Breakers management began to show interest in NBA cult hero Tacko Fall, who joined the squad for its three-game US swing in October and followed them home, as he rehabbed an injury.

At 2.29m (7ft 6in), Fall would be the tallest player to pull on a Breakers singlet and while he barely averaged six minutes a game during a three-year, 37-game NBA career, he became a fan favourite at the Boston Celtics. That's undoubtedly an attractive marketing proposition for the Auckland club, regardless of his actual playing ability.

Certainly, Fall seemed sure he would eventually join the Breakers on the court, alluding to a reunion with Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tataum, father of former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum.

With a two-week break for the FIBA international window, the Breakers would now have ample time to assimilate the Sengalese giant into their system, if Gillespie were to leave.