FOR the Beau Belga trade to push through, Rain or Shine must soften its stance or NLEX needs to come up with an acceptable offer.
According to league sources, NLEX's bid to acquire the inside-outside big man hit a stalemate since Rain or Shine stood firm in its demand to get first-round draft pick Calvin Oftana in return.
NLEX, sources said, has forwarded several trade combinations to ROS officials in a bid to get its hands on Belga, the beefy 6-5 bruiser who played for Road Warriors coach Yeng Guiao in Rain or Shines' glory years in the PBA.
Rain or Shine, however, has yet to bite.
One of the first versions packaged Michael Miranda and one of NLEX's first-round picks in the 2020 rookie draft, which the Road Warriors' weren't willing to give. The last offer was Kris Porter and Will MacAloney for Belga, which Rain or Shine rejected.
Rain or Shine officials, sources said, made it clear that it will only part with Belga if NLEX gives them Oftana in a one-on-one, straight-up deal.
Oftana is a 6-5 rookie out of San Beda who NLEX picked with the No. 3 selection overall in the draft. Sources said Guiao is high on Oftana because of his versatility and ability to play the two and three positions with equal ease.
So is the deal dead? Not by a longshot.
Belga, 34, is on the final year of a maximum contract with Rain or Shine. Negotiations on a contract extension are going nowhere, sources said, at a time when PBA team owners aren't exactly happy with paying big salaries with so little basketball being played amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it is, PBA teams have paid every single player under contract in full for the past 16 months even with only a maximum of three months of basketball played in the last PBA Philippine Cup bubble at Clark.
On the other hand, NLEX is determined to get a solid man in the middle since losing starting center Poy Erram to sister team TnT Tropang Giga.
NLEX's lineup is solid in every position with Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Alas, Jericho Cruz and Oftana under contract. All it needs is a center of Belga's caliber to compete against teams like Ginebra and new recruit Christian Standhardinger.
But for any deal to happen, NLEX must either give in or Rain or Shine needs to soften its stance.
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