CHICAGO - A day after PBA chairman Ricky Vargas said he believes league officials "can convince players to stay in the PBA," another star is about to exit his league.
Multiple sources have told me that Matthew Wright, the heart and soul and the face of the Phoenix franchise, has a deal in place to play in the Japan B.League later this year.
The reason why the contract is still on "agreed upon" status and not yet signed is because Wright still has a live contract with Phoenix and he intends to honor that by playing in the upcoming Philippine Cup, his last conference before heading overseas.
[See Vargas vows fight against 'poachers']
Also, while the PBA isn't a FIBA-sanctioned league, the Japan B.League is and basketball's governing body prohibits a player from signing two contracts.
Fortunately for Gilas fans, Wright has a contract clause that would allow him to suit up for the national team when called upon.
So there you go, the leak goes on and talent continues to seep from the PBA.
MISPLACED JARGON.
This, however, isn't what Vargas alluded to as "poaching."
Like other past migrations, Wright's impending flight is all about free enterprise and the pursuit of happiness and better opportunities.
I hate to disagree with the esteemed Vargas on his choice of words but "poaching" doesn't necessarily apply in the context of player flight.
Poaching fits more snugly when pertaining to property, which PBA players are not. They're grown men who have free will and the right to choose wherever they want to play as long as they are not bound by an existing contract.
In a preseason press conference that quickly turned into a crusade to keep his players away from other leagues, Vargas declared that the agents "are the main problem."
They are not.

Agents are advocates who ensure that their player-clients are being treated and paid fairly, especially in the PBA where no players' association exists.
However, if those agents can't be controlled or are not willing to collude with teams, they're not good in the selfish eyes of the PBA.
Which makes me wonder if that's the reason why, despite repeated attempts, the PBA still has refused to accredit Jerina Madayag, who works with several Fil-Ams who are either currently playing in or trying to enter the PBA.
Madayag is one of those "unregistered agents" referred to that supposedly "have nothing in mind but to get fees from these players."
Excuse me, sir, but making fees is what we call in the real world as making a livelihood.
Because we all have bills to pay.
It is an insult to the intelligence of PBA players to say that the agents make the decisions for them as unwanted whisperers and wicked influence peddlers with mercenarial tendencies.
The Ravena brothers, Dwight Ramos, Jason Brickman, Bobby Ray Parks, and now, Wright, are guys smart enough to know what's best for their respective careers and families.
Agents are not the problem.
The problem lies in the PBA's stubborn resistance to inclusion as it continues to view players as rights and properties to own instead of partners.
It's a whole new world. It's time the PBA adapts.
Otherwise, the exodus will continue.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph