Poy Erram isn’t going anywhere — for now.
The veteran big man will remain with TNT at least until the end of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup as his contract was automatically extended.
Players with expiring deals, per league rules, will be ‘auto-extended’ until the end of a conference should the expiry date fall within a tournament.
His old pact lapsed after December 31 of last year.
That explains why Erram still played in the Tropang Giga’s eventual 101-99 escape versus Meralco on Tuesday night at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
He tallied six points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes, managing to play despite battling a severe case of the flu that struck him on the morning of the game.
It remains to be seen, though, if Erram can become an unrestricted free agent once the perennial contenders’ conference comes to a close.
The former Ateneo center, for one, doesn’t fall under the PBA’s seven-year ruling for UFA as it only covers players drafted from 2014 onwards.
Erram was drafted in 2013 as the 15th overall pick by TNT.
So, it means that his rights will be held by his mother team in perpetuity per the old rules, unless the Tropang Giga opts to release him to free agency.
That would only be the time when the 6-foot-8 bruiser and his camp can talk and negotiate with other teams interested in acquiring his services.
Sources close to Tiebreaker Times, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Erram hasn’t been offered an extension by the team.
Thus, there is looming uncertainty about his future with the flagship MVP Group franchise, which he helped secure three of its 10 league championships.
