Melbourne United have their sights on signing Australian basketball great Joe Ingles and will cast a wide net in the search for a new head coach after parting ways with NBL championship winner Dean Vickerman.

Vickerman, who steered Melbourne to two titles in nine seasons in charge, was contracted until 2028 but has been granted a release to pursue overseas opportunities.

The 54-year-old's departure is the most significant move so far in a flurry of off-season changes at United, with wing Tanner Krebs another to exit after joining rivals South East Melbourne on a two-year deal.

Talented forward Sam Waardenburg has joined Melbourne as a free agent, and 38-year-old Ingles' signature would be another huge boost for the perennial title contenders.

The five-time Olympian has spent more than a decade in the NBA and is in the midst of a Western Conference semi-final series, with his Minnesota Timberwolves leading San Antonio 1-0.

"We've definitely got interest in Joe ... but we'll wait until the NBA season finishes and see where that sits," Melbourne chief executive Nick Truelson said.

"(He'd bring) incredible leadership with the leadership that we've already got.

"But he also has a skill-set that we don't have a lot of here, so we'll see how that all plays out."

Five-time NBL championship-winning coach Trevor Gleeson, who is currently in charge of Japanese team Chiba Jets, shapes as one of the leading contenders to replace Vickerman at United.

Truelson hopes to secure a new head coach before the NBA Summer League starts in July, with an eye on recruitment and the three import slots available.

"You want to have a coach well before that and that heavy lifting starts now, so we'll start that in-depth process," Truelson said.

"We're excited by the calibre of people who have already been reaching out and we know that after today there will be a lot more coming through.

"The exciting thing is there are so many coaches who will see United as a great destination and a lot of that is thanks to the work that Dean's done over the last 10 years."

Vickerman will remain part of the Australian Boomers' coaching set-up ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as he looks to advance his career at club level in Asia.

"There's really strong interest from Japan and China," Vickerman said.

"They're the two countries that have expressed the most amount of interest in my services."

Vickerman, who previously led the New Zealand Breakers to the 2015 NBL title, was a key figure in transforming Melbourne United into one of the league's heavyweight clubs on and off the court.

He steered United to championships in 2018 and 2021, and was named NBL coach of the year three times (2018, 2019, 2024).

Melbourne were runners up in 2024 and 2025 before losing the post-season play-in game to the Perth Wildcats in what proved to be Vickerman's final campaign as United coach.