CHICAGO - Sayonara, Japan B.League.
Multiple sources confirmed to SPIN.ph on Thursday that Japeth Aguilar has come to terms with Barangay Ginebra on a three-year contract extension.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but sources said the deal is valued in the neighborhood of what June Mar Fajardo, the highest-paid player in the PBA, is getting from San Miguel Beer, the sister team of the Gin Kings.
Ginebra is set to make the formal announcement in the coming days.
One of the most talented bigs in the PBA, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Aguilar was the object of at least four Japan B League teams' obsession in recent months, attempting to lure him with deals as rich as $40,000 a month.
The Gilas Pilipinas high-flyer's previous contract with Ginebra expired at the end of the year, but Aguilar ultimately decided that there is no place like home.
Ginebra ends B.League threat
By re-signing Aguilar, Ginebra management has locked up the three players most coveted by B.League teams - Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, and Scottie Thompson - to lucrative long-term deals.
On Wednesday, SPIN.ph reported that Standhardinger has come to terms with Ginebra management on a contract that is good for another three years.
The Fil-German center was acquired by Ginebra from NorthPort in exchange for Greg Slaughter and has now committed to the Gin Kings for the long haul.
On the other hand, Thompson, another B.League target, was rewarded with a three-year contract extension by management in March after Ginebra's run to its last Governors' Cup championship.
The Thompson re-signing was vital since the former Perpetual guard was supposed to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022 season had he not been under contract.
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