The NBL has brought together three separate bids from Canberra into one fortified working group and wants to know by the end of July if the nation's capital is capable of supporting a new club.

The NBL is planning expansion for the 2015-16 summer season, with Canberra, New Zealand, South Melbourne, Tasmania and Brisbane the preferred locations. A maximum of four will be granted licences, with the NBL to determine those clubs by October, giving them a year to set up.

Former Test cricketer Graeme Watson, who is overseeing the expansion project, said there had been a strong response from the Canberra region when the NBL called for registrations of interest, with more than nine nominations from the ACT.

The NBL has encouraged the three best proposals to band together, with the group to hold its next progress meeting on Monday.

It has already been decided that any club would be built on a community-funded membership model, not on private ownership, and that it should be a decentralised club with a base in Canberra but home games shared with regional areas such as Wagga.

Watson, who has also been involved in expansion projects with the AFL and A-League, was encouraged by the interest from Canberra.

"To be perfectly frank, the response we've got out of Canberra has been as good if not better than anywhere else," Watson said.

"We felt the people involved would be better to work together as a group, so we elected to bring them together and it seems to be working well."

"We had a review with them a week or so ago, they're on the right track but they've still got a lot of work to do.

"The one thing we don't want to do is re-create what's been done previously when these teams have gone belly up ... if it can't be substantiated, then it won't proceed."

The consolidated working group, of about 12, includes a mix of business and basketball experience from Canberra and interstate.

One group, led by former Cannons coach and NBL Hall-of-Famer Cal Bruton, includes National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chairman Justin Mohamed and Marlon Forrester, of Sydney marketing group Line&Length.

There is an independent member, who remains private.

There is also a collective group of business people, mainly comprising representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Williams played 232 NBL games with many clubs, including the last season with the Cannons in 2003. He has since moved on from PwC to become deputy chief executive officer of CropLife Australia.

He said there was a genuine drive to return top-level men's basketball to Canberra.

"I think there's definitely the drive for it to happen, so if the numbers stack up it could well be a goer," Williams said.

"I'd like to think I have something to offer, I had a long career in the NBL so I've seen what works at NBL clubs and what hasn't.

"I've still got fond memories of the Cannons. It was a tough period, but we all stuck together and I remember the camaraderie."

Given the NBL is looking at 22 home matches per season, part of Canberra's plan would be to spread games to nearby cities. The group has met with Wagga council representatives.

Watson said it was far too early to discuss branding, such as whether a Canberra team would retain the traditional Cannons name.

"We're definitely not going down private ownership, that's dead in the water as far as we're concerned," Watson said.

"The ACT government is well aware of what we're doing. We've had a number of discussions and they've been very supportive."