Last day for tender offers

For 48 players picked in last Sunday’s PBA draft, the last day to receive tender offers from the teams that chose them is today. If a player isn’t given a tender offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. If a tender offer is made, the player has 10 days after to come to terms. If an offer is submitted and the player doesn’t sign, the team retains his rights in perpetuity. The 15-day deadline (including the five-day period for a tender offer) exempts players in the MPBL and NCAA and those who are still abroad.

There were 70 players who applied for the draft but three were struck out before D-Day.  They were 5-9 Franz Diaz of CEU, 5-10 Francis Patricio of FEU and 5-9 Marko Villorente of PATS. Diaz pulled out before the rookie combine while Patricio and Villorente joined the combine but failed to make the final cut. Villorente, 39, would’ve been the oldest player in the draft.

Of the 19 undrafted players, six were Fil-foreigners or those born abroad with Filipino lineage. The six undrafted Fil-foreigners were 5-5 1/2 Ronnel Arciaga of Pacific Union College (California), 5-10 3/4 Christian Charlesworth of Ave Maria University (Florida), 5-11 1/2 Martin Enriquez of San Diego State, 5-11 1/2 David Penney of Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, Canada), 5-9 1/4 Michael Soy or Nguyen Toan-Ahn of Algonquin College (Ottawa, Canada) and 5-10 1/4 Conner Verdugo of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida).

Emerging co-valedictorian of the draft class were Rain or Shine and NorthPort with six picks each. The Elasto Painters selected Fil-foreigners Caelan Tiongson and Felix Lemetti on the first round, Francis Escandor, Michael Malonzo and Miggy Corteza second and Darwish Bederi third. NorthPort chose Dave Ildefonso on the first, Evan Nelle second, Agem Miranda third, John Uduba fourth, Germy Mahinay fifth and Robbi Darang sixth. NLEX and Converge had five picks each, Ginebra, Phoenix and Meralco four, Blackwater, Magnolia, Terrafirma and San Miguel Beer three and TNT two.

La Salle had the lion’s share of draftees with Justine Baltazar, Jonnel Policarpio, Mark Nonoy, Escandor, Nelle, Ben Philips, Corteza, Jordan Bartlett and DJ Mitchell (who would’ve played for the Archers as a one-and-done from NCAA D1 University of Hartford but was sidelined with a back injury last season).

Undrafted players are free to try out for any team as they’re now free agents. Among the undrafted players who went on to suit up in the PBA were Jackson Corpuz, Edgar Charcos, Bryan Faundo, Josh Urbiztondo, Mark Yee, Philip Paniamogan, Chico Lanete, Jonathan Uyloan and Rudy Lingganay.

The minimum term for a draft pick contract is one month at a minimum salary of P70,000. The maximum salary for draft picks chosen first, second and third overall is P420,000. The maximum salary for draft picks chosen fourth overall onwards is P200,000 in the first year, P250,000 in the second and P420,000 in the third.