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| Javi Gomez De Liaño still wore his Terrafirma practice jersey during SGA's practice as he awaits the fate of the embattled PBA franchise before he makes his next career move. Julius Domondon/SGA |
PASAY--Did you know that PBA-wise, Javi Gomez De Liaño was almost put on the trading block?
The six-foot-five swingman bared on Wednesday that Terrafirma nearly shipped his PBA playing rights to another team, but he did not disclose the other club supposedly involved.
"I was really leaning towards going back to the PBA, and they were supposed to work on a trade for this certain team. Pero they couldn't trade me because our team's on a freeze. While they're selling the team, they can't trade the players," Gomez De Liaño, who will join Strong Group Athletics for the meantime, said after the Jones Cup-bound team's practice on Wednesday at the College of St. Benilde Gym here.
He added that because he can only be re-signed by the Dyip, their franchise's new owner, or the team he would have ended up with if the trade pushed through by August or September, he decided to initially accept the contract extension offer of KBL club Anyang Red Boosters.
The PBA barred Terrafirma from making player movements right after it announced that it was putting its franchise for sale so the new owner can absorb the incumbent roster lock, stock, and barrel, including the playing rights to Gomez De Liaño and Christian Standhardinger.
The Zamboanga Valientes ownership group led by Zamboanga City councilor Junnie Navarro is the frontrunner to buy the Terrafirma franchise, but there is no update if the sale is still pushing through ahead of a Friday deadline to pay the franchise fee, which is expected to be at least PHP100 million.
Gomez De Liaño is essentially a free agent now after he parted ways with Anyang just last week.
The number eight pick of the 2023 PBA Draft was close to re-signing with the Red Boosters after a solid performance last KBL season, but the KGC-owned franchise let him go after reportedly going AWOL.
"No hard feelings. I really respect the team, organization, and management. This is life, I guess. Things didn't turn out the way we wanted, but I still respect them. I made a lot of friends and relationships there. I guess I'm just moving on from that and just working on the next opportunity I'll be getting," Gomez De Liaño said about the sad end to his Anyang stint.
While he remains hopeful that another KBL team or even a Japan B.League team takes notice of him, the former Ibaraki Robot keeps his PBA options open, all the more that he further revealed that his younger brother, last season's KBL finalist Juan, is now leaning about declaring for this year's draft.
"Everything is still on the air, so I'm just taking it day by day," Javi further said.
For now, his focus is on the Jones Cup with SGA.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
