Thus, there is a question among Alaska fans and basketball observers: Did Uytengsu ever feel that a PBA team is no longer worth fighting for? "The purpose of the draft is to strengthen the weaker teams," Uytengsu stated. "However, what we have seen lately is these weaker teams end up selling their top draft picks because if you look at who is being traded in return, it clearly doesn't make basketball sense for the weaker teams, unless there is other consideration." Unrestricted free agency was supposed to be the equalizer, but without a strict and transparent salary cap, players from weaker teams actually signed with SMC and MVP teams. They may have realized that there really was no way for them to compete on equal terms with the current PBA system.

Source: Manila Times February 19, 2022 03:58 UTC