IN a deal that could trigger a slew of PBA movements, the Magnolia Hotshots are trading the PBA signing rights of young big man Will Navarro to the Titan Ultra Giant Risers for the rights to Arvin Tolentino, sources said.
Both Tolentino and Navarro left the league last year for bigger contracts in the Korean Basketball League, so the deal involved only the signing rights of the two players - with a bit of complications on a possible return to the PBA.
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Navarro was released by the Busan KCC Egis after a subpar debut season in the KBL that saw him average 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21 games while sitting out most of the team's games in the playoffs.
Worse, the former Ateneo forward is covered by the three-year ban on players who leave for other leagues while having existing offers from their mother PBA teams.
On the other hand, the PBA ban was not yet in effect when Tolentino left in May 2025 to join the Seoul SK Knights. But the former Ginebra and NorthPort forward is in the middle of a three-year contract he signed with the KBL team.
Also, Tolentino is playing so well that there are doubts if the SK Knights would want to see him go. He averaged 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1 assist per game and won KBL All Stars MVP trophy in the Team Asia versus Team Rookie game last January 18.
So unless Tolentino opts out of a rich contract that pays in seven figures (in pesos) monthly, that is if Magnolia is willing to match if not top that deal, the Hotshots faces a long wait before getting him back.
The trade proposal was submitted to the PBA office for approval on Monday.
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