A PROPOSED trade between Blackwater and TNT Tropang Giga faces rough sailing in the PBA Commissioner's Office, in its current form, at least.
On Thursday, SPIN.ph reported that Blackwater management has agreed in principle to send high-scoring guard Rey Nambatac to the Tropang Giga for point guard Kib Montalbo and a future second-round draft pick.
TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa confirmed the trade agreement between the two ballclubs, which he said was 'pending the approval of the PBA.'
READ Blackwater trading Rey Nambatac to TNT for Kib Montalbo, second-round pick
The PBA Commissioner's Office usually announces the approval of trades along with other official transactions on its website, but there were no such announcements at the end of office hours on Thursday.
However, insiders bared that the trade proposal, in its current form, will likely not be approved by the league's trade committee, whose members include deputy commissioner Eric Castro and legal counsel Melvin Mendoza.
"Malabo," said a league insider.
That doesn't mean the trade is done. What it likely means is that Tropang Giga will have to come up with a better trade offer to get their hands on Nambatac, a legit scorer during his time with Rain or Shine and Blackwater.
If it is dead-set on getting Nambatac, TNT will have to cough up more players and/ or draft picks than the Montalbo-draft pick package.
Nambatac carries more weight
Nambatac averaged 11.09 points, 4.36 assists and 2.36 rebounds in 11 games with the Bossing after being acquired in a February trade with Rain or Shine in exchange for a first-round pick previously owned by TNT.
Although he made just 36 percent of his shots - including a cold 26% from three-point land, Nambatac is seen as a far bigger asset than Montalbo, who averaged just 4.3 points in his four seasons with TNT.
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