PBA players with expired contracts and who have yet to get an offer from their respective mother ballclub need to wait for at least 30 days before signing with the teams they want to play for.
That has been the case as per league rules and applies to every player and every team, a scenario similar to the current situation of veteran guard Paul Zamar.
The University of the East's previous contract with San Miguel expired at the end of 2022 and reportedly, hasn’t heard if a new deal was forthcoming.
A third party in Blackwater meanwhile, expressed interest in re-acquiring him especially since Zamar’s breakout season in the league came in 2018 while still donning the Bossing uniform.
But Blackwater couldn’t make any offer to the 5-foot-10 guard as his rights remain with San Miguel, at least for the next 30 days since his old contract lapsed.
From now until Jan. 31, the Beermen could tender an offer to Zamar if they wanted to retain his service.
Otherwise, the guard could choose to play for Blackwater – or any other team – if he’s not signed to a new contract once the 30-day grace period expires.
TNT big man Dave Marcelo was in the same bind two years ago.
Phoenix failed to offer him a renewal when his contract expired after the first ever bubble season in 2020.
Still, the Fuel Masters were given a month to negotiate with Marcelo and his camp on a contract extension.
For some reason, the team overlooked the situation and only offered the big man from San Beda a new contract when the grace period was over.
By that time, two teams had already been knocking on Marcelo’s door, and the 6-foot-5 banger opted to take his act to the Tropang Giga.
So will Zamar be retained by San Miguel or finally rejoin Blackwater, the same team that gave him a break in the PBA fve years ago as a free agent?
Or even more, will he end up playing for another team?