top of page
GIF 720x90 px.gif

THOUGHTS | THE PBA SALARY CAP PROBLEM


ree


The Titan Ultra Giant Risers are trading the rights to Dave Ildefonso to Converge for a first-round pick and the rights to their 2025 second-round pick Kobe Monje.


Is this a farm team move?


I actually think it is.


That said, I get where the Giant Risers are coming from. Ildefonso’s price tag is hella expensive, and they’ll probably get a pass for thinking of the future. I know Converge is one of the favorites to unseat the SMC and MVP teams from their threshold, so the first-round pick may be a late one. The FiberXers also tanked their second season to get Justine Baltazar.


I hate condoning mediocrity, but “trusting the process” has its pros and cons.


Titan Ultra and former Letran coach Johnedel Cardel may also be looking for familiarity, as he is getting another Letranite in Monje. That said, he could have asked for more Letran players on Converge’s roster, given how they barely use Pao Javillonar. But in some ways, the PBA, in its 50th year, could have made adjustments to the salary cap instead of making other decisions, like the decimation of the eighth-seed playoff. This is one of the reasons why players are either delaying their PBA climb or bolting to other leagues.


Now, the international leagues are one thing, but the MPBL is another. With the ₱420K-a-month salary they gave Ildefonso, Abra/Solid North should have applied for a PBA team. It baffles me how players are choosing the MPBL instead of the PBA, given the discrepancies in competition and financial capabilities between the teams. Again, I am not dissing the MPBL, but this sucks for the PBA. Some players still choose the PBA to achieve a dream, while others stay in the MPBL because it offers a more flexible path to the future. How can the PBA get mad at the KBL and Japan B.League players if they can’t even compete with the MPBL’s money?


I know there are only a handful of players getting this kind of treatment in the MPBL, but the PBA is basically begging for the other league to unseat them, especially if they stick with this mindset.


I still think the reasoning of “protecting the players from criminal acts” is ridiculous, because it’s even more dangerous for people to believe someone is playing in the PBA while earning barely ₱100K per month. And it’s not like the PBA discloses salaries—the media and players themselves talk about it. Disclosing a salary cap to let fans know a player’s value would eliminate the notion of why a starter would choose to become an SMC benchwarmer, and why a trade that looks bad stat-wise would be okay in the long run.


But moving back to Ildefonso—I don’t know how long he can keep up with his current situation. The money is good, but if he continues to play in the MPBL, he risks becoming like Rommel Adducul when he played for the Manila Metrostars. By the time Adducul went to the Barangay Ginebra Kings, he was seen as an old rookie, and being a big-time role player in Ginebra pretty much ruined his PBA career. The saving grace for Ildefonso is that he’s already drafted, and his rights are with teams that would want to maximize his talents. But what if he gets to Converge when the team has already evolved into a contender?


The FiberXers already have Baltazar and Mythical Second Teamer Justin Arana in the frontcourt, with Schonny Winston, Alec Stockton, and Juan Gomez de Liano in the backcourt. If and when Mikey Williams decides to squeeze his remaining talents and play for the team, Ildefonso may end up as their seventh-most important player. So he’d basically go from the MPBL’s most prized possession to Converge’s part-time starter. He’s the guy with a max salary but averaging only around 12 points in a non-import conference?


That’s crazy.


And this is why I think Titan Ultra is giving “farm team” vibes right now, but they could pull a win out of this scenario. Again, Titan Ultra is giving away a franchise player for future considerations. Already this season, they are planning to give away the rights to Ildefonso and Greg Slaughter so they can rise up in later seasons. They are loading up on options smartly, and all I can say is that we should give them time.


I know the SMC and MVP teams will still do their best to raid the down-and-out squads, but with more competitive independent teams, their options are slowly evaporating. The championships will always be there, but so will the age of their stars. The fact that 32-year-old Chris Miller is one of the youngest players in San Miguel, and the hype surrounding 24-year-old Ginebra rookie Sonny Estil for a team that normally benches rookies, is proof that the future looks bleak for these teams unless they find a way to get younger.


This is where teams like Converge, Rain or Shine, and Titan Ultra are going to flourish.


If the Giant Risers are not really a farm team, they can breeze through this season at the bottom of the standings, land a willing young top prospect they’ll be required to pay the max rookie salary, and in two to three years, contend for a championship.

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating

PROJECT SYDRIFIED

ANYTHING GOES 

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

IN CASE OF CONTACT, 

SYD SALAZAR 

CHECK ON FACEBOOK

09154417148

Quezon City, Philippines

CONTACT THE BLOG

SUBSCRIBE AND BE NOTIFIED!

<script src="//servedby.studads.com/ads/ads.php?t=MTk2NTE7MTM4MTg7aG9yaXpvbnRhbC5sZWFkZXJib2FyZA==&index=1"></script>

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

©2025 by Syd Salazar

bottom of page