The Bay Area Dragons’ conceivable withdrawal from the Commissioner’s Cup that will kick off the season has not yet been officially announced to the PBA.

Management of the Hong Kong-based club, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial, has not yet contacted the Dragons, who were scheduled for another stint in Asia’s fledgling professional league as previously indicated.

However, according to a report by the South China Morning Post, an English-language daily with headquarters in Hong Kong, all player contracts were cancelled during a team meeting that took place virtually.

The decision shocked the entire team, particularly considering that Bay Area had just recently announced the addition of new players who would make up the lineup for the PBA and the EASL (East Asia Super League).

The decision to disband the Dragons, who were created particularly to participate in the EASL’s first home-and-away season last year, was reportedly motivated by financial difficulties.

The tournament was ultimately held in Japan where the Dragons, a team made up of locals Zhu Songwei, Kobey Lam, Glen Yang, Duncan Reid, and Hayden Blankley as well as imports Andrew Nicholson and Myles Powell, placed a respectable third. The home-and-away format was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet, it was their outstanding performance in the Commissioner’s Cup under coach Brian Goorjian that won over Filipino basketball fans, particularly after they pushed Ginebra to the limit before falling in Game 7 of the finals, 114-99, in front of a record-breaking 54,589 spectators at the Philippine Arena.

Matt Beyer, the CEO and co-founder of EASL, has yet to make an official statement regarding the situation, although insiders claim a significant development is anticipated to be made public by the end of next week.

Meanwhile, the search for Meralco is over. Feron Hunt, a 6-foot-8 import who previously played for the New York Knicks, was chosen by the Bolts as their new import for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Southern Methodist University, an NCAA Division 1 institution, produced the 24-year-old Hunt.

Although the NBA (2021) did not select him, he played most of his professional basketball in the NBA G League, where his last team was the Birmingham Squadron.

He signed a 10-day deal with the New Orleans Pelicans after being first dismissed by the Dallas Mavericks, however he was unable to participate in any games during that time.

He had a two-way contract with the Knicks last season and participated in two games for the team.

Last year’s Commissioner’s Cup presented a challenge for Meralco because their first-round pick, Johnny O’Bryant, could not get the Bolts off to a good start and they ended up going 1-5.

KJ McDaniels later succeeded him, and together they saw the team conclude the conference season with a 4-8 record and miss the playoffs.