There will be no player trades in the PBA while teams are inside the bubble for the resumption of its 45th season.
League commissioner Willie Marcial himself made the declaration in the online program Sports Page, Monday evening.
“No trades na for this season,” he said.
This announcement came days before the Sept. 23 deadline for all 12 teams to submit their final lineups for the Clark bubble.
The league initially thought of allowing trades by the start of scrimmages on Sept. 27, the same day it allowed teams to sign free agents.
“Final lineup namin Sep 23. Kaya sinabi ko wala nang trades, kasi final na ‘yun e. ‘Di ka pwede magpalit-palit,” Marcial said.
With that, the only transactions the league is allowing are free agent signings and contract extensions for players with expiring deals.
The PBA, once given the go-signal by the IATF, plans to open shop on Oct. 9, after seven months of stoppage due to the pandemic.
The league will remain inside the former US military base for about a couple of months, with the delegation to be housed at the Quest Hotel.
Games, meanwhile, will be held at the nearby Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center, which is 10 minutes away from Quest.
Marcial said that everyone should be inside the bubble by 11:59 of October 8, otherwise they would not be allowed to enter anymore.
“October 8, 11:59 ng gabi kailangan nakapasok ka na. Kung hindi ka pa nakapasok nun, hindi ka na makakapasok,” he said.
