A three-team deal including TNT, Blackwater and NLEX is pending for PBA’s approval which will see Calvin Oftana shipped to TNT, Troy Rosario to Blackwater and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser to NLEX with three other players.
Rising basketball superstar Calvin Oftana and fellow Gilas member Troy Rosario, including four other players, are part of a three-way trade of TNT Tropang Giga, Blackwater Bossing and NLEX Road Warriors.
Reports of a three-team trade surfaced on Wednesday, September 14, detailing the acquisition by TNT and coach Chot Reyes’ of Oftana and the team's dropping veteran big Rosario ahead of next week’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup opening.
The blockbuster trade starts with this year’s No. 1 rookie draft pick Brandon Rosser and unrestricted free agent Paul Desiderio going to NLEX for the duo of Oftana and big man Raul Soyud.
Blackwater will then send Oftana and Soyud to TNT for Rosario and Gab Banal.
In an ironic manner, Oftana, the third overall pick in the 2020 PBA Rookie Draft, is now teaming up with Mikey Williams, who was the fourth overall pick in the same draft — a pick previously owned by NLEX before dealing in a three-team trade with the same two teams they are in a transaction with for this new trade.
Oftana went on to thrive under Coach Yeng Guiao, who the NLEX recently lost and is now the head coach of Rain or Shine, averaging 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game last conference and the top scorer for the team.
Meanwhile, the trade will see the end of Rosario’s almost seven-year tenure with TNT, who also acquired him in a three-way trade in 2015 after being selected No. 2 overall pick by the KIA franchise.
Rosario finally won a championship in the PBA in the Philippine Cup last year during their bubble conference in Pampanga but had limited minutes last conference due to lingering injuries.
Banal on the other hand will be shipped to his third team in just a year after averaging 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in his first conference in the league.
NLEX then have new players in their arsenal as they get 23-year-old Fil-Am big man Rosser who failed to play most of Blackwater’s early game due to a hand injury he suffered during the 31st Southeast Asian Games, playing just eight games with the Bossing including the playoffs, and averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds.
As of writing, the trade papers have been submitted to the PBA office awaiting approval.
Tags: #PBA, #trade, #basketball