Have we seen the last of the Muscle Man with Alaska? It looks like it.
In a report by Spin.ph Friday afternoon, Vic Manuel said that he has already asked his agent, Danny Espiritu, to look for possible options as his contract with the Aces expired at the end of 2020.
According to the 6-foot-4 forward, nobody from his team has reached out to him since the Milkmen’s campaign in the PBA bubble ended. Alaska bowed out of the tilt after losing to eventual runner-up TNT in the quarterfinals.
“Sana i-trade na lang ako,” Manuel was quoted as saying.
The 33-year-old has been with Alaska since 2014, finding a home there after spending time with Meralco, Air21, and GlobalPort. With the Aces, he emerged as one of the league’s best forwards due to his offensive prowess.
The former PSBA standout averaged 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists at the end of the 2020 Philippine Cup elimination round, helping his crew clinch the seventh seed with a 7-4 card.
If Manuel does find a new team by the start of the new season – with an April 9 target start date – it would be another major development within the Aces under head coach Jeff Cariaso, who took over in 2019.
Under the cager-turned-mentor, Alaska has traded away a few key pieces during Alex Compton’s times, most notably Chris Banchero, whom it shipped to Magnolia in November 2019 for Robbie Herndon and Rodney Brondial.
Tiebreaker Times has sought Cariaso for comment, but he has yet to respond.
