CHICAGO - After a decorated collegiate career that was capped by a UAAP Season 86 title at La Salle, Evan Nelle was expected to take the PBA by storm when he opted to turn pro last year.
A fearless, big-game player who outsized his 5-foot-11, 175-lb frame, Nelle had stardom written all over him.
But in one of the stunning surprises of the Season 49 PBA Rookie Draft, the former Green Archer ace dropped all the way to No. 14 overall in the second round where he was picked by NorthPort.
READ Pureblends hits the ground running, eyes two multi-player trades
Playing behind veterans Jio Jalalon and Fran Yu, Nelle averaged just 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 11 games during the Philippine Cup.
The storm we thought he would stir turned out to be a harmless, uneventful drizzle that was caused by limited playing time that saw him log only 16 minutes and 40 seconds of action per with just one start,
NELLE'S FORTUNES ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE.
As first reported by my SPIN.ph colleague and podcast partner Snow Badua, Nelle is being shipped to Phoenix in a three-team trade that will see Larry Muyang's signing rights going to Converge and Jeo Ambohot to new team Pureblends.
"Evan's gonna have a breakout year," said a Phoenix official who confirmed Badua's reporting and that the proposed swap is now pending in the league office.
Muyang is currently suspended for a "ligang labas" infraction but a Converge executive told me on Wednesday night that it will be known this Friday if the suspension will be lifted and the FiberXers' can acquire Muyang.
Phoenix has had eyes on Nelle since he was in college but the availability of Kai Ballungay in the first round and the absence of a second-round pick hindered a potential union.
Not anymore, pending the PBA commissioner's nod, which is a formality because "it's not an unfair trade," according to the Fuelmasters.
At Phoenix, Nelle will share point guard duties with resident star Tyler Tio who lit up the Philippine Cup with averages of 12.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game last conference.
Hopefully, new Phoenix coach Willie Wilson will unleash the 27-year-old Nelle
so we can all watch his stardom glow.
NO CONNECTION.
TNT's pursuit of Blackwater's Justin Chua ended as quickly as it began.
"We had no assets to trade. We thought we could pick him up as a free agent," a team official said. No word yet as to who the Tropang 5G will target next to shore up a roster that is temporarily orphaned by ACL tear-stricken Poy Erram.
The search for Christian Standhardinger has so far remained fruitless but the good news for TNT is their desire to acquire Kevin Ferrer is "pending."
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