Way out for Slaughter

MANILA, Philippines — There is a way out for 7-foot center Greg Slaughter to pull away from NorthPort, the team that holds his signing rights in the PBA, but it will take a five-year sit-out for him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Slaughter’s contract with NorthPort expired early this year and while he has been offered a renewal, he said in his social media account that it was made “only to retain my rights so I couldn’t go anywhere (as) it was less than half of what I was currently being paid.” Under PBA rules, a player’s rights are retained by his team if he is offered a renewal within 30 days from the expiration of his contract.

“If there is no agreement for a renewal, a player will sit out five years before becoming an unrestricted free agent,” said PBA legal counsel Atty. Melvin Mendoza. “However, the player and team have up to two years from expiration to come to terms. A trade of a player’s rights is possible only if he is first signed up so it would be a sign-and-trade. If after two years, there is no agreement, then the player must sit out three more years.”

The PBA has adopted a rule allowing players to become unrestricted free agents upon expiration of their contracts seven years from their draft year but the starting cut-off is 2014. Three players who became unrestricted free agents and moved teams last season were Nards Pinto, Chris Banchero and Rodney Brondial who were all picked in the 2014 draft. Slaughter was the PBA’s top overall pick in the 2013 draft so he missed the cut-off by a year. Slaughter will turn 34 on May 19 so if he sits out five years, he’ll be 39 by the time his unrestricted free agency kicks in. There is no move to cover players who were drafted before 2014 and the seven-year rule itself may be reconsidered.