This year’s PBA Draft might ultimately be remembered for those who did not join rather than those who did. 

While highly sought-after guards such as Juan Gomez de Liano and Jason Brickman have finally decided to throw their name into the draft pool, several other top prospects chose to delay joining Asia’s oldest play-for-pay basketball league.

Among these players who are seeking opportunities elsewhere include Quentin Millora-Brown, Rhenz Abando, and Clint Escamis–all of whom are likely to have been top picks in this year’s draft. They likely would have been the top three picks of the 2025 draft, ahead of the projected top three of Gomez de Liano, Brickman, and Will Gozum.

The 6’10 Millora-Brown, who was recently allowed to play for Gilas Pilipinas as a local, was expected to become the first overall pick of this year’s PBA Draft. He just wrapped up a stint with the Macau Black Bears and is now going to try his luck in Europe. By all means, this is the right decision to make for Millora-Brown as Europe offers him the opportunity to learn from some of the best basketball minds in the world and will better equip him for his future international basketball stints with Gilas.

Abando’s absence makes sense too and is consistent with the trend in recent years. He is returning to the Anyang Red Boosters of the Korean Basketball League whom he helped win the 2023 championship. For as long as the 27-year-old continues to get offers overseas, he should continue to delay his PBA career as the exposure and compensation that he can get is by far superior.

The one player whose decision not to join the PBA Draft is more of a concern though is that of Escamis. The star of the reigning NCAA Philippines champion Mapua Cardinals is returning for one final season in an attempt to win back-to-back titles. He could have been drafted by the PBA while still playing for Mapua, but decided against this as he is likely to pursue options overseas similar to Abando who was a star in the NCAA too just a few years ago.

Local collegiate stars such as Escamis are understandably exploring their options beyond the PBA and this is no one’s fault except for the league itself. The PBA has fallen behind its regional peers and is going to continue doing so until reforms are put into place. The proliferation of “farm teams” has killed fan interest and this undoubtedly affects the league’s bottom line, affecting how much teams can pay its players. The level of competition in the Philippines is definitely much lower compared with others in the region too given how restrictive the league is when it comes to allowing foreign players to come in. 

The trend observed in this year’s PBA Draft is that it is those players who have run out of options abroad such as Gomez de Liano and Brickman or with no offers at all are the ones who are joining the pool. Until anything changes, this is only going to be exacerbated in the coming years. 33-year-old rookies will become the standard practice and the PBA will turn into a place for players to make one final stop rather than a preferred destination.