Greg Slaughter Remains a Gin King Despite Taking a "Break: The Explanation

When the 7-footer Greg Slaughter announced via an Instagram post that he is taking an indefinite break away from the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings after his current contract with the team expired, everyone was stunned, to say the least. And even though Tim Cone said that he was aware of Slaughter to take a rest as the latter apparently mentioned it during the exit interview, the winningest coach in the history of the PBA still found himself stunned upon learning of Slaughter's announcement. In fact, the Ginebra coach is planning to discuss things with the Cebu-based cager. And no, Tim Cone isn't giving up on GregZilla just yet.  

The question that is running around every PBA fan's head right now is this: Can Greg Slaughter play for another PBA team if he decides to return even if his current Ginebra contract has already expired?

No.

The rulebook of the league says that even though Slaughter's contract has expired, his playing rights still remain with the Gin Kings UNLESS the Ateneo product is given an unconditional release- something that many think is a scenario that is unlikely to happen. Why? A healthy Greg Slaughter is the best answer you can put against a healthy June Mar Fajardo on the floor. So, if we are to follow the logic of the rule, Greg Slaughter is still technically a Gin King even with the absence of an exiting renewed contract signed by both parties. 

Now, there's another way out for Slaughter if in the scenario that he wants to play in the PBA again but not for Ginebra and that is via a trade. And if the Gin Kings and Greg Slaughter can't mutually agree on a new contract, then Ginebra may be forced to find a suitable trade partner who can give something that has the same value as of that of Slaughter. The problem is: Greg Slaughter is already 31 years old and only has a few good years left. And not only that.

He has an incapability to stay away from injuries and that's what has hampered his growth in the PBA.

Gineebra may be open to the idea of actually trading Slaughter away but the question is: is there a PBA team who is willing to gamble for the chance of having Greg Slaughter on their team even if it's for a short period of time?

In other words, there's no saying what's running on Greg Slaughter's mind right now or does he still want to play for Ginebra in the future but if he does want out of the Gin Kings camp, an unconditional release from Ginebra will do the trick. That, or a trade. 

Photo is from Panay News