THE MIKEY WILLIAMS SAGA CONTINUES?

It’s already the middle of 2025, and somehow, one of the top headlines in Philippine basketball is still the never-ending Sam and Diane saga—okay, Wacks and Peachy if you're a '90s Pinoy teen—between Mikey Williams and the TNT Tropang 5G management.

Here’s what we know: Williams went full pabebe, ghosted TNT for two years, and now he wants to return to the PBA—whether that means suiting up for TNT again or facing them from the other side of the court.

Not even a pay cut can sway TNT to invest in his services, and that's a shame considering how devastating his game is to his opponents.

As I said in a previous blog, TNT hasn’t forgotten what Williams did to them, but they also know what he’s capable of. That’s why releasing him outright is never going to be on the table. If another team wants to acquire his services, TNT is demanding a king’s ransom—and they want to do it in a way that keeps the blame off their back if the deal ends up backfiring.

https://www.project-sydrified.com/thoughts-the-case-of-mikey-williams

So what are TNT’s options? Two likely paths:

1. Trade his rights to one of the MVP farm teams if they can get their hands on a blue-chip talent like Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, or Kevin Quiambao.

   
   

2. Work out a deal with one of the SMC teams in exchange for solid assets, especially if Mikey is okay with playing reduced minutes in a stacked rotation.

   
   

Sending him to independent teams like Converge or Rain or Shine? Not happening. He’d likely thrive too much there—unless Coach Yeng Guiao decides to humble him, which would honestly be entertaining.

Williams now joins the likes of Bobby Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena in that club. Unlike the latter two, Williams isn't enjoying a great payday at the moment. Even Thirdy Ravena and SJ Belangel had similar paths, though I doubt TNT would part with Mikey just to bring SJ back to the MVP Group fold. Success in the B.League or KBL doesn’t automatically translate to PBA stardom anyway. Just ask current Ginebra point forward Stephen Holt. He was a G-League veteran, but even with Terrafirma, he never matched Mikey’s impact during his first two seasons with TNT. RJ Abarrientos, who shares a near-parallel career with SJ Belangel, is now in development with Ginebra as its next big-time point guard.

As for Thirdy, while there’s a chance he returns after his stint in Dubai, his stock has plummeted—he’s managed just 16 points across 17 games in the Adriatic League, per RealGM. Even if he’s the top pick in the 2025 PBA Draft, his best-case scenario is becoming a slightly bulkier Sedrick Barefield.

The only way TNT would offload Mikey to a farm team is if they’re guaranteed someone like Sotto, Tamayo, or Quiambao. And let’s be honest—that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

Sure, Mikey would be a useful veteran presence for whoever takes over the Terrafirma franchise, but it wouldn’t be smart to trade a high draft pick for a nearly 34-year-old guard with injury concerns and off-court baggage. They’d be better off building around a younger, marketable star like Rhenz Abando.

TNT might be chasing a grand slam this year, but no one would blame them if they miss the mark by keeping Mikey on ice. After all, his disappearing act is one of the reasons their title chances got derailed in the first place.

And let’s not forget: TNT has always shown grace when it comes to loyalty. Just look at Kelly Williams. The guy has stepped away from the game multiple times to deal with health issues and retirement thoughts, and yet he’s still in the lineup, nearly ten years older than Mikey.

The MVP Group values commitment. And while it’s unfortunate that Mikey’s PBA superstardom fizzled out as quickly as Sonny Alvarado’s, that’s what happens when you carry yourself more like an import than a local. The best PBA imports treated the Philippines like home. Mikey? He never seemed like he was planning to stay.