Justine Baltazar is now a free agent
The 25-year-old native of Pampanga and his camp were able to secure his release from B.League club Hiroshima on Monday evening.
The Dragonflies made the announcement on Tuesday.
“We would like to inform you that we have cancelled the contract of Justine Baltazar, based on mutual agreement,” said Dragonflies general manager Shuji Okazaki. “He has only played in eight games since opening day and we could not give him an opportunity to play.
“Although he is a very good player, we could not fit him into our system,” he added.
Head coach Kyle Milling wanted to play the 6-foot-9 Baltazar as a big despite the team having three bigs already in Kerry Blackshear, Nick Mayo, and Dwayne Evans.
Baltazar had already been converted as a wing by Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin prior.
Baltazar, a product of La Salle, logged a total of just 13 minutes in his two-month stay with the Dragonflies, totalling just two points and a rebound.
Hiroshima is currently 16-5 in the West District of the B.League.
Still, he is grateful for the opportunity given to him by Hiroshima.
“To all the fans, thank you for supporting me and the whole Hiroshima Dragonflies team,” he said.
“Thank you for cheering me on since day one. You will forever have a special place in my heart. I hope you’ll still support me and the rest of the team. God bless us all. Thank you very much.”
All is not lost for Baltazar’s overseas dreams as a Korean Basketball League has expressed great interest in signing him, according to multiple sources closely monitoring the situation.
