KBL: Arvin Tolentino contract saga ends after signing with Seoul SK

After a month of uncertainty regarding his status with NorthPort, Arvin Tolentino signs with Seoul SK. PBA Images (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--A month-long contract impasse between Arvin Tolentino and NorthPort came to an end on Friday when the six-foot-five swingman decided to take his acts to Seoul.

Tolentino is set to suit up for the Seoul SK Knights in the upcoming KBL season as announced by the team.

Tolentino is taking over the Asian player quota spot to be left behind by Juan Gomez De Liano.

Both Seoul SK and Gomez De Liano parted ways following a contract buyout which paved the way for the Tolentino signing.

Interestingly enough, the announcement came minutes before the Batang Pier are set to play the TNT Tropang 5G in a PBA Philippine Cup game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Uncertainty clouded both NorthPort and Tolentino when the latter's contract expired on April 30.

Rumors of a move to another team began to swirl when Tolentino opted out of an "auto-extension" clause until the end of the said conference, all the more when he himself confirmed that some Asian teams are interested in his services, although he did not directly mention the Knights as one of them.

Tolentino is coming off a standout performance in the PBA Commissioner's Cup that earned him Best Player of the Conference honors, averaging 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

He still got to play the first two games of the ongoing conference, averaging 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and 1.5 steals per contest before he sat out the rest of the way due after his contract already lapsed.

Tolentino will team up with reigning KBL MVP Ahn Young-Jun and Jameel Warney, who both signed new contracts to stay with Seoul SK.

The Knights came close to a piece of professional basketball history as they became the first KBL team to crawl back from 0-3 down to force a Game 7 in the league finals.

However, the epic comeback which would have made them only the second team to complete a reverse sweep in a best-of-seven series after the San Miguel Beermen's "Beeracle" in the 2016 PBA Philippine Cup Finals fell short as Carl Tamayo and the Changwon LG Sakers finally closed out the series after three missed tries.

Tolentino is now tasked to help Seoul SK finish the job next season but at the expense of leaving a NorthPort side which, after getting the top seed in the PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs before exiting in the semifinals, is now one loss away from getting knocked out of Philippine Cup contention.

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