CHICAGO - With just two picks in the Season 49 PBA Rookie Draft last Sunday, San Miguel took Avan Nava at No. 12 in the first round and Abdul Sawat also twelfth in Round 3.
It was a pair of quiet, uneventful moves, the exact opposite of the exploits of sister team Ginebra which crashed the proceedings by swapping their No. 10 pick for the No. 3 pick of gullible Terrafirma.
That's why the draft is often called the lottery, an opportunity for lesser teams to strike it rich by getting the first bite at the best fresh talents available.
How the Gin Kings were able - and subsequently allowed - to pull off that pick swap to acquire RJ Abarrientos defies logic.
Now that the dust has settled, it's the Beermen's turn to make their move, albeit in a less tacky-looking way.
BYE-BYE BLACKWATER?
Per multiple sources, San Miguel is looking to acquire Sedrick Barefield - the second overall selection taken by Blackwater - for Terrence Romeo and two other assets.
A high-profile agent with knowledge of the proposal told me the PBA has no rule that would prohibit the Bossing from giving away their No. 2 pick so soon. From what I've been told, the recent top draftee is still overseas and has yet to sign his contract
The pursuit of Barefield makes sense for the Beermen, whose slew of guards are getting up there in age and were noticeably outplayed by their Meralco counterparts during the recent Philippine Cup Finals which the Bolts won in thrilling fashion.
Chris Ross is 39, Simon Enciso and Jericho Cruz are both 33, while Romeo is 32 and, unfortunately, oft-injured.
Barefield, who is represented locally by Anthony "Brody" Brodett of Phenom Sports Management, the agent representation arm of Phenom Championship Clinic, is an elite 6-foot-2, 190-lbs hybrid point guard who has US NCAA and NBA G-League credentials in his stout portfolio.
MAJOR UPGRADE.
The Fil-American immediately makes San Miguel younger and exponentially better at the the point, which is paramount in a loaded lineup. Someone needs to move that ball swiftly, while also being capable of taking over a game when needed.
Two days ago, SPIN.ph writer and newsbreaker Snow Badua reported that William Navarro of NorthPort could also be headed to the SMC flagship team for, I am told, Jericho Cruz and Jeron Teng.
Navarro is a 6-foot-6 forward with three-point range. And he is only 27 years old.
With eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo now aged 34 and sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter at 37, the Beermen obviously want to win now.
And with a potential Big 3 of Fajardo, Barefield, and Navarro, they absolutely will.
Moral of the story?
Dynastic teams don't rebuild. They just retool.
And if San Miguel can, indeed, reel in Barefield and Navarro, they're going to be a problem for the rest of the league even more than they used to be.
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