KEMARK Carino’s reunion with Stephen Holt and Isaac Go is finally sealed.
The PBA trade committee on Friday approved the one-on-one trade between Barangay Ginebra and Terrafirma without changes, sending the still recovering Carino to the Kings for journeyman Ben Adamos.
READ Ginebra getting Kemark Carino from Terrafirma in trade for Adamos
That paved the way for the 6-foot-8, shot-blocker to be reunited with former Terrafirma teammates Holt and Go, who were also acquired by the Kings in a separate trade with the Dyip almost two years ago in exchange for Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle.
Carino however, won’t be available right away when Ginebra opens its campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup as he’s still recovering from an ACL injury.
The Titan Management Group, which handles the big man out of San Beda, said he is penciled for a April return.
Carino, among the first batch of Filipinos to play in the B. League, was part of the Terrafirma core along with Holt and Go who made the playoffs of the Season 48 Philippine Cup as the eighth seeded team.
The Dyip faced top seed San Miguel Beermen, who they extended to a knockout game before bowing out, 110-91.
It was only the second and last time Terrafirma made it past the eliminations.
The 28-year-old Carino, picked by the Dyip in the second round of the 2023 draft, is two years younger than Adamos and clearly has a lot more upside than Adamos. He is also a more imposing presence inside the paint with his defense, having led the league in shot blocks right in his rookie year.
In contrast, Adamos has hopped from one team to another since being drafted by Alaska. He was a back-up big man in each stop all the way to Ginebra which he joined in a July 2024 one-on-one trade with NorthPort for Sidney Onwubere.
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