ANOTHER key piece of the Phoenix team will no longer be a Fuel Master.
Big man Justin Chua has been traded to NLEX Road Warriors for young slotman Kris Porter on Thursday.
Justin Chua-Kris Porter trade
On top of acquiring Porter, the Fuel Masters are also set to get the Road Warriors' 2022 first round pick and 2021 second round pick.
The deal had been approved by the PBA Commissioner's Office as trade deadline ends by noon today.
Trade talks between the two teams have been going back and forth as early as last year with the 6-foot-7 Chua as the centerpiece.
The deal was finally consummated after Chua and Porter played their final game with their respective teams on Wednesday.
Chua finished with eight points and three rebounds in Phoenix's 104-99 loss to San Miguel, while Porter had four points and a rebound in NLEX's 106-89 drubbing of Alaska.
The 32-year-old big man had been a major player for Phoenix the last five seasons since being acquired from a trade with TNT in 2017.
Chua was part of the Phoenix team that reached the semifinals of the 2019 and 2020 Philippine Cup.
In the 2020 edition of the all-Filipino conference at the Clark bubble, the Fuel Masters came a win short of making the finals for the first time in franchise history, losing to TNT in the deciding Game 5 of their semis series.
By the end of the season, Chua was recognized as the Top Bubble D-fender by the PBA Press Corps and lost to Barangay Ginebra's Prince Caperal in a close race for the Most Improved Player award.
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