AS TNT continues to build up even after winning the PBA Philippine Cup, veteran Jay Washington was among the casualties in the rejig.
The 40-year-old big man suddenly found himself being shipped to Blackwater along with two future second-round picks as the Tropang Giga got former Gilas stalwart Carl Bryan Cruz in return.
For someone who had been there before, Washington, who TNT traded to San Miguel in 2008 for the draft pick that enabled the franchise to select Jayson Castro, shrugged off another change in environment even at the twilight of his pro career.
More so, he doesn’t even take it against TNT for letting him go again.
“There’s no hard feelings there,” Washington said. “Obviously, we went through a lot over there the last couple of years, and it’s great to see them finally reach the top of the mountain and win a championship.”
JWash found himself returning to his original mother team in the PBA in 2019 when TNT picked him up from the unrestricted free agent list after being left unprotected by Rain or Shine.
TNT homecoming
Relegated as a back-up big, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft still proved to be a valuable asset for the Tropang Giga coming off the bench and was part of the main rotation when the team made the finals of the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup and 2020 Philippine Cup at the Clark bubble.
The two-time Best Player of the Conference still suited up for TNT early in the last all-Filipino conference when Chot Reyes took over as coach, but was left out of the lineup when the tournament shifted to another bubble in Bacolor, Pampanga where the Tropang Giga eventually won their first championship in six years by beating Magnolia in the finals.
That proved to be his final days with the franchise as he later became part of the package TNT sent to Blackwater to get its hands on the 30-year-old Cruz.
Initially, Washington, a four-time champion, was not part of the deal as big man Chris Javier and a first-round pick was supposed to be sent to Blackwater for Cruz.
But after the deal was torpedoed and asked to be revised by the Commissioner’s Office, the Tropang Giga eventually handpicked Washington to be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak.
Again, the 6-foot-7 Fil-Am holds no ill-will against the team which first gave him the break in the PBA.
JWash stressed he has nothing but great respect for the franchise and the TNT management headed by Manny V. Pangilinan.
“I had a lot of great years with TNT. And I’ll always be grateful to Boss MVP, for his generosity and his love for basketball,” he said. “So I will always be grateful to him and TNT and what they have done for me over the years.”
His basketball journey, now on its 16th year, continues with Blackwater, his fifth team in the league.
“I hope I can continue my career. I feel like I still have it,” said Washington, who averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14 minutes of play in the three games he played for Blackwater so far.
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