Rain or Shine puts swingman Javee Mocon on trading block

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Rain or Shine Elastopainters are looking to end their long-term relationship with superstar Javee Mocon after sources confirmed that they are putting him on the trading block at the start of the season.

With the next PBA conference already kicking off in four days, the Elastopainters also dropped Mocon’s name in the official and final roster passed to the commissioner’s office.

Rain or Shine’s basketball operations head Caloy Garcia also announced that they are finding the right team for Mocon and negotiations with other parties are still ongoing.

“As of now, may ini-o-offer kami sa ibang teams, and other teams are also asking about Javee, Pero in order to agree, we have to have a fair deal. As of now, there’s no clear deals pa naman,” said Garcia in an interview with Spin.ph.

Mocon was drafted sixth overall during the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft and has been a solid forward for the Elastopainters from the get-go.

The former San Beda University Red Lion was a revelation during his rookie year and proved himself to be a solid two-way player for coach Garcia which also helped them to several PBA postseason trips.

As he transitioned to his third and fourth year in the league, Rain or Shine molded Mocon into a reliable offensive threat and started to develop into a consistent outside-shooter while also expanding the other parts of his game.

Rumors already spread that the San Miguel Beermen are the top contending team to earn Mocon’s rights but is still unconfirmed up to this date.

Rain or Shine’s official roster for this conference will be led by veterans Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga, Rey Nambatac, Jewel Ponferrada, Mark Borboran, and Norbert Torres.

Meanwhile, their young guns marching into battle are rookies Gian Mamuyac and Shaun Ildefonso, Mike Nieto, Anton Asistio, Andre Caracut, Vince Tolentino, Santi Santillan, and Jhonard Clarito.