PBA commissioner Willie Marcial reiterated the league’s stand that there is no rule in the league that prohibits the No. 1 pick in the draft from being traded, citing the absence of a formal approval by the board on the matter.
Marcial explained that the move that prohibits the first pick in the draft to be traded was proposed in the board in 2018, but was never finalized.
See Japan, Japan, sagot sa kahirapan!
“’Yun, laging on the table ‘yun. Nag-usap nga kami ng mga governors kanina. Nasa table ‘yun nung 2018. Dapat i-aapprove sa 2019. Hindi na na-approve. Nabinbin. Kaya wala talagang policy na ganun,” said Marcial.
The supposed ruling has been pointed out by netizens after Blackwater included last year’s No. 1 pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser as part of a three-team, six-player deal that includes TNT, and NLEX.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial says the proposed rule was not approved by the board.
Observers cited Marcial’s statements in 2018 as the basis for the ruling which was an offshoot to the controversial trade in 2017 where Kia sent its number one selection to San Miguel in exchange of Ronald Tubid, Jay-R Reyes, Rashawn McCarthy, and the 2019 first round pick.
Marcial stood firm with his statements in 2018, but insisted that there was no board approval since there was no memorandum on the matter.
“Kasi kung may policy agad na ganun, mine-memo naman ‘yun kasi crucial ‘yun,” said Marcial.
Since the board was not able to discuss the proposal, specific details on the implementation such as whether the prohibition covers the pick or the player selected were not finalized.
Even without the ruling, Marcial said he is not ruling out the possibility that it will be revisited in the future.
“Nasa table naman eh. Hindi naman sinasabi na totally wala,” said Marcial.
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