CHICAGO - Since entering the PBA as the second overall pick by TNT in the 2015 rookie draft, Troy Rosario hasn't really been paid like a star.
That's about to change.
Per multiple sources, Blackwater has a deal on the table for the four-time All-Star and one-time PBA champion. And while the Bossing have rarely, if ever, been accused of paying top dollar, their offer is actually very competitive.
READ Troy Rosario weighs unrestricted free agency as offers come in
Including bonuses, Rosario will receive P900,000 a month for five years, sources bared.
It's so tempting that the 6-foot-7, 218-pound power forward almost signed on the dotted line when the package was presented to him months before.
FREE AS A BIRD.
But he held back, I was told, because Troy wanted to explore his options as an unrestricted free agent, a status PBA players will likely experience only once during their careers.
When I reached out to him, Troy was as elusive as a QuadComm hearings resource person, telling me via text message, "wala ako assurance na free agent ako kaya di ako makagalaw."
What he probably meant was that he isn't actually free yet. You see, according to a person familiar with the situation, the expiration date of Rosario's contract overlaps with the ongoing Governors' Cup.
But if Rosario elects not to sign Blackwater's offer soon, the Bossing will have no choice but to release him.
Traded by the Tropang Giga in September of 2022, Rosario has surprisingly thrived at Blackwater, averaging 17.4 points, 7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per in 11 games during the Commissioner's Cup where he logged 32 minutes a contest.
MULTIPLE CHOICES.
Fully healthy, the former NU juggernaut's performance didn't dip this conference, either, even though Blackwater had a rough start which led to the team barely missing the post-season train.
Should he choose to have a change of scenery, Rosario, still in his prime at age 32, has more options than a buffet table.
Presently, he also has a $19,500 a month offer from a Japan B.League team, a Japan-based agent told me. The Korean Basketball League is also calling, sources said.
TNT had expressed prior interest in reuniting with their own draft pick. I called but coach Chot Reyes was unable as of posting time as the Tropang Giga are in the middle of another title run.
Whichever jersey he will put on soon won't matter. He will get paid, and he might not even have to hop on an international flight to get the kind of compensation he deserves as a Tier 1 player.
Moral of the story?
The first is that It may be time to put to bed the notion that Blackwater is cheap. Team owner Dioceldo Sy wants to win and he is putting his money where his mouth is.
Secondly, Troy Rosario has reaffirmed that patience and hard work pays.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
