MERALCO is considering letting go of import Ismael Romero and tapping a new reinforcement for the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup which opens on March 11.
The Bolts team manager Paolo Trillo said the team purposely did not put the hulking 6-foot-9 Romero’s name in Meralco’s official lineup for the mid-season conference.
“We didn’t put Ismael’s name in the official lineup because there might be a new development,” Trillo told The Manila Times on Friday.
“We’ve had talks with Ismael, which have been amicable and we’re trying to look for the best (approach to the) situation at this point,” he added.
Romero has served as Meralco’s import since the start of the East Asia Super League season 3 home-and-away.
The 34-year-old Puerto Rican averaged 22.3 points, 16 rebounds and 2.3 assists for Meralco in the EASL where the team recently failed to get past the opening round.
Romero’s familiarity with the system of Meralco active consultant Nenad Vucinic became the prime reason for the Bolts to bring him in as their Commissioner’s Cup import.
However, Romero got into trouble recently in a controversial incident that saw him kick former Zamboanga Valientes guard Nick Demusis on the head in a game during the Dubai International Basketball Championship while playing for Al Ahli Tripoli.
Last week, Romero saw action for the Puerto Rican national team in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas.
Meralco still have time to bring in a new import as it will not make its Commissioner’s Cup debut until March 18 when it battles Converge.