THOUGHTS | PHOENIX CHEAPING OUT ON CONTRACTS

Snow Badua recently called out Phoenix on Facebook for being stingy with their players.

And honestly, he has a point.

Take Encho Serrano, for example. Phoenix reportedly wanted him to extend for just ₱90,000 a month. Sure, that’s a decent paycheck for most of us, but for an athlete who can maximize his career for only about a decade, it’s shockingly low.

Especially when you realize Serrano is making ₱350,000 a month with the Abra Weavers, after pulling a similar salary from Pampanga a couple of years ago.

Serrano earned that respect, too — he averaged 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in a solid rookie season. Compare that to Simon Camacho, who was also offered ₱90,000 by Phoenix but signed with Abra for ₱250,000. In 77 career games, Camacho’s averages sit at just 1.8 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Even Ricci Rivero, a big name in his own right, only gets ₱170,000 a month.

It’s a head-scratcher.

This might explain Phoenix’s decision to trade down in the draft. They still landed Will Gozum and Bryan Santos, but it looks like a calculated move to avoid paying someone like Juan Gomez de Liano a max rookie contract. And that’s exactly why many of the top amateurs are skipping the PBA Draft altogether.

Here’s the bigger issue: every Filipino baller dreams of the PBA, but the MPBL is starting to look like the better option. It’s not just about getting minutes — it’s about getting compensated fairly for your skills. Sitting on a PBA bench for two years while earning scraps is not the dream. Yes, Phoenix probably stretches its survival in the league by being thrifty, but it paints the PBA in a bad light.

Badua even mentioned that a player exodus is looming, but honestly, it’s already happening. Phoenix has been trading stars for role players and picks since Matthew Wright left. Jason Perkins has been loyal, but what if he walks? Do Phoenix’s championship hopes vanish with him?

Now, I don’t entirely blame Phoenix. Teams have the right to offer what they think is fair, and players have the right to walk away. The real problem lies with the PBA. Why isn’t there transparency about salaries? We already see leaks, so why not make it official? And if SMC and MVP teams are bending the salary cap, why not impose a luxury tax? Why not adopt a contract structure similar to the NBA?

It’s not a bad thing if PBA players move to Japan or Korea — it shows their talent is world-class.

But losing them to a semi-pro league like the MPBL?

That’s alarming.

If some MPBL teams have deeper pockets, why not invite them into the PBA? Pampanga, Solid North, Zamboanga, Starhorse — clearly some of these franchises have both money and staying power. Fans wouldn’t complain about SMC stacking talent if they knew how much was being spent, and smaller-market teams could operate within a transparent system without looking cheap.

This lack of transparency is part of what pushed Alaska out of the league. They refused to play the under-the-table bonus game, and eventually, their stars bolted for SMC. The PBA is not a corrupt institution, but its outdated rules make it feel like we’re still stuck in the ’90s. Adding Phoenix — a team with zero titles in over a decade — to the list of “laughingstock” franchises like Terrafirma and NorthPort only worsens the PBA’s image.

If I were a player, I’d rather pose for a photo op signing a huge, justified paycheck than smile awkwardly while settling for crumbs.

Get Sydrified.