TNT Tropang Giga have sent star guard Mikey Williams a letter of termination, ESPN is able to confirm.
The team made the move after both sides remained deadlocked in contract renegotiation talks and the guard refused to return to the Philippines.
"Yes" was TNT senior consultant Chot Reyes' reply on Saturday night when asked if it was true that the team had sent a letter to that effect, shorty after the Tropang Giga had beaten Converge FiberXers in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
Reiterating that nothing had changed with the situation, Reyes stated: "(It's) status quo. He's not here, so he's not here."
Williams was signed to a three-year contract extension last year reportedly with the option to ask for a renegotiation after one year, which he activated.
But after months of going back and forth with no deal reached and Williams still holed up in the United States, the Tropang Giga bit the bullet and sent the termination letter.
Williams was named Finals Most Valuable Player of the 2023 Governors' Cup, which was won by TNT in six games over Barangay Ginebra.
He left for the United States shortly after the season ended and has not returned to the Philippines despite repeated requests from the Tropang Giga.
His absence adds to TNT's manpower woes as the team is already without RR Pogoy, Poy Erram, Justin Chua, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, and Paul Varilla.
What now for Mikey's PBA future?
With the way things are shaping up, Williams won't be playing in the PBA anytime soon -- for any team.
"Right now, we have no plans of trading him," Reyes saidm when asked if that was an option. "But we still hold his rights."
The situation is similar to the case of another one-time TNT guard in Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who left the team in 2021 to play in Japan despite his having a live contract.
TNT still holds Parks' rights even though they no longer have a contract, and Parks can't play for another PBA should he decide to return unless he is released by TNT.
Williams is in the same boat and is effectively in PBA limbo unless the Tropang Giga change their mind and decide to trade him.
How have TNT fared without Williams?
So far, TNT's depleted roster is 1-1 in the Commissioner's Cup.
To fill the void, they signed up free agent point guard Mike Tolomia -- who had four points in 17 minutes off the bench in his Tropang Giga debut Saturday night.
Jayson Castro has done much of the heavy lifting so far for TNT's backcourt, including a 23-point effort against the FiberXers, while Ryan Reyes and Brian Huruela have also stepped up.
They should get more quality minutes once Ganuelas-Rosser, Varilla and Kim Aurin return from injuries.
The question for TNT now is whether they can still hang with the heavyweights of the league without their vaunted backcourt of Williams and Pogoy.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will have to carry even more of the load, and Castro needs to summon his form from ten years ago when he was Asia's best point guard.
Commissioner Marcial reacts
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed to ESPN that despite the impending termination of his contract, under league rules Williams will not be allowed to sign with another team.
"TNT will still hold his rights," Marcial said. "He cannot play with another team unless TNT releases him."
Marcial said the league's legal department has also sent a letter to Williams regarding the issue, to which he replied. The PBA then forwarded the reply to TNT management.
Marcial declined to comment further on the nature of the letter out of respect for the legal process.
As for playing in another league outside of the Philippines, Marcial said the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will have to give the green light first before Williams can be cleared to play by FIBA, which vets and approves all player transfers from country to country.
This is highly unlikely since the SBP and the PBA have a very close working relationship.
Besides, Williams' options in Asia are severely limited since he doesn't qualify as an Asian heritage import in Japan and Korea, where eligibility rules are very strict.