Meralco’s behind-the-curtain discussions with two of the most prolific PBA imports in history may end up bearing fruit.

At least, that’s the update that Meralco coach Luigi Trillo gave on Friday afternoon during Day 2 of the 2025 PBA Draft Combine at Ynares Sports Center in Pasig.

Trillo, alongside team consultants Nenad Vucinic and Norman Black, watched some 100 applicants put their best foot forward in the hopes of making it to the Philippines’ premier basketball league.

However, that wasn’t the only thing Trillo had his focus on.

At the back of his mind was the plan to pair Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (RHJ) at Meralco for this year’s East Asia Super League (EASL).

“We’re working on it and it’s gaining ground,” said a beaming Trillo. “I hope it materializes. Those two guys are tough and the nice thing is, they’ve done so much [for] Philippine basketball. So to have those two pit bulls would be nice.”

A few weeks back, rumors of Meralco’s recruitment of Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson grew rampant amid the squad’s import issues for the EASL.

At first, Trillo decided to keep the developments under wraps but with the opening of the regional competition looming, the squad upped the ante on the discussions.

Currently, Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson are resting after a grueling back-and-forth season against each other.

Both imports starred in two of the three conference Finals of the PBA’s 49th season, with RHJ winning both showdowns for TNT.

Ginebra’s resident import, on the other hand, is also catching his breath after representing Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup last month.

“Management is working on it and in about a week we’ll have that. Plus, I think we’re working with two other guys also. We’ll wait and see until this week but it’s looking good.”

The EASL allows two imports in one team alongside one naturalized cager to bolster a squad.

But the EASL isn’t starting until the eighth of October. So at the top of Trillo’s to-do list is Sunday’s Rookie Draft for the PBA’s 50th season.

The veteran coach, himself, is keen on picking the right talent for a hungry Meralco squad; a tough task with such an underrated draft class.

“People are saying this is a shallow draft but I can’t even guarantee who’s going one to sixth. They can fall anywhere,” Trillo said.

“Now, I’m noticing for this draft that there are a lot of good point guards and probably good role players so we have to do well.”