After his attempted PBA comeback fell through, former Terrafirma Dyip forward Javi Gomez de Liano is not closing his doors on returning home to play in the Philippines.
Speaking during the media availability of Strong Group Athletics-Philippines ahead of the 44th William Jones Cup, Gomez de Liano revealed that his camp and Terrafirma were already working on a deal to bring the former University of the Philippines standout back to the PBA.
The Dyip were reportedly close to completing a trade involving Gomez de Liano to an undisclosed PBA team. However, the deal was ultimately shelved after the league imposed a trade moratorium on the 11-year-old franchise due to its reported intent to sell.
With the trade stalled, the 26-year-old opted to sign a contract extension with Korean Basketball League (KBL) club Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters. But that stint was short-lived — Gomez de Liano was recently released by the team after reportedly going “AWOL.”
“Before I signed with my KBL team last month, I was really leaning towards going back to the PBA. We were supposed to work on a trade for this certain team, pero they [Terrafirma] couldn’t trade me because our team was on a freeze,” Gomez de Liano told reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the College of Saint Benilde Gym in Manila.
“While they’re selling the team, they can’t trade the players daw. If ever man, August pa or September. That was like too long for me to wait so I just decided to play one more year in the KBL,” he added.
Despite the missed opportunity, Gomez de Liano has no hard feelings toward his former squad. Instead, the 6-foot-3 forward reflected on his time with Terrafirma in a positive light and expressed hope that the incoming owners could finally steer the franchise in the right direction.
Looking ahead, Gomez de Liano remains focused on the next chapter of his career. He aims to pour his energy into Strong Group’s campaign in the Jones Cup, scheduled from July 12 to 20 in Taiwan, while keeping all future options open.
While he is still leaning toward an overseas stint, a return to the PBA remains on the table — especially with his younger brother potentially entering the draft.
“Moving forward, I still hope to play overseas after focusing [on] this tournament. Right after, I’ll talk it out with my agent to see what options we have. Everything’s open,” Gomez de Liano shared.
“I’m also thinking about joining the PBA. A big reason is that my younger brother might join the draft. Everything’s still in the air. I’m just taking it day by day.”
Should he decide to return, Gomez de Liano promises to bring back the same winning mentality he shared with Juami Tiongson and Stephen Holt during Terrafirma’s breakthrough quarterfinal run in the 2023 Philippine Cup.
“When you have players with winning mindsets, it can really turn around a franchise. Whichever team buys Terrafirma, and if ever I decide to come back, I want to bring that winning mindset back,” he concluded.
