TNT looking for way to ‘snatch’ Aguilar

So, Japeth Aguilar may not end up wearing a Burger King Whopper jersey in his rookie year in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Talk ’N Text expressed its desire to acquire Aguilar, and Ricky Vargas, the team’s representative to the board, said they will exhaust all legal means to bag the promising six-foot-nine player.

“Any team would like to get a talented and promising player like Japeth,” said Vargas, whose team returned from a training camp in the United States.

“This kind of player is certainly hard to pass up. How we can get him and what are the consequences of getting him has yet to cross my mind, but we have to get him by legal means,” he added.
Getting Aguilar needs a lot of maneuvering. Talk ’N Text and Burger King are not allowed to trade their players directly because Tropang Texters owner Manny Pangilinan owns a part of Burger King.

Aguilar, the 22-year-old forward who played for Western Kentucky University in the US, is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the Rookie Draft on August 2 at Market! Market! in Taguig.

Burger King owns the No. 1 pick and team manager Lito Alvarez said in a previous interview that they will definitely tab Aguilar.

Whopper head coach Yeng Guiao wants Aguilar on his team even for just one conference, especially because Arwind Santos has been shipped to San Miguel Beer.

Talk ’N Text does not have a first-round pick in the draft after it traded its rights to Burger King (No. 9 pick) when Yancy de Ocampo was sent to the Tropang Texters two years ago.

If Talk ’N Text does acquire Aguilar, the former Ateneo center would most likely play for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which Pangilinan heads.