TNT kept the core of the unit that came close of scoring a PBA Grand Slam last season.
Unfortunately, it also let go of a few players, as the team begins to face a new challenge when the league ushers in its golden year starting on Oct. 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Team manager Jojo Lastimosa disclosed to SPIN.ph that Barkley Ebona, Jielo Razon, and CJ Payawal are no longer part of the Tropang 5G roster for Season 50.
This developed as third-year big man Henry Galinato signed a two-year contract extension with the telecommunications franchise.
READ: TNT signs newly acquired rookie Henry Galinato to two-year deal
The exit of Razon, Ebona, and Payawal also came amid the retirement of veteran TNT guards Ryan Reyes and Ping Exciminiano.
Bye-bye to TNT bench mob
Both Ebona and Payawal were part of the Tropang 5G that won back-to-back championships during the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup, respectively.
Ebona, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft by Alaska, came to TNT as an unrestricted free agent after being let go by Converge.
Payawal, meanwhile, was a rookie free agent who tried out for a roster spot with the team when Phoenix didn’t give him a tender offer after being selected in the third round (No. 28 overall) in the Season 49 Draft.
Razon was left out in the same draft class as Payawal, but managed to attend a Tropang 5G training camp that earned him a second look from Lastimosa.
Following the injury to TNT heart and soul Jayson Castro that kept him out for the rest of last season, Razon was signed in the mid-season Comm’s Cup onwards, eventually winning a title right in his rookie conference.
Too bad, he went under the knife following a case of appendectomy, which made him miss the Philippine Cup where the Tropang 5G fell in the finals against San Miguel, dashing its bid for a season sweep.
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