MANILA---Talk N' Text management is willing to lend three players from its squad to Smart Gilas as the national team seeks a berth in the 2012 London Olympics.

But it is also seeking roster relief in exchange.

Sources told the Inquirer yesterday that the Tropang Texters were prepared to release anyone among Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Jared Dillinger, Ranidel de Ocampo and Harvey Carey to Smart Gilas for the 2011 Fiba Asia championship—the Olympic qualifier for the continent.

But to offset the loss of key stars, the Texters will ask the league to free Japeth Aguilar from a deal that prevents him from playing for Talk ‘N Text until at least after the Fiba Asia tournament. Aguilar was dropped from the national team after he suffered a knee injury.

Talk ‘N Text officials are expected to raise the proposal during the team owners’ meeting on Jan. 25 in Greenhills.

Talk ‘N Text owner Manny Pangilinan is also the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and bankrolls the Smart Gilas squad. He will be joined in the owners’ meeting by SBP vice chair Ricky Vargas.

The owners’ nods will be the key to this proposal because Aguilar’s stint in the PBA is governed by an agreement reached when the former No. 1 pick of the PBA bolted Burger King (now Air21) to serve the national squad.

Under the agreement, Aguilar would be traded to Talk ‘N Text, which would then send the player’s rights to Smart Gilas. The same agreement, made formal by a letter penned by former PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, prohibits Aguilar from rejoining Talk ‘N Text until “his engagement with the Smart Gilas national team is completed.”

It was not clear whether being dropped from the national squad completes Aguilar’s duty but Barrios noted in his letter that “the earliest completion is on the Fiba Asian Olympic qualifiers in 2011 and the latest is qualified in the 2012 London Olympics.”

Ronnie Nathanielsz, Phil. Daily Inquirer