CHICAGO— In a blockbuster trade that stunned the PBA community last June 2, 2025, TNT shipped the signing rights to Mikey Williams to Converge for Jordan Heading.
Fans and pundits immediately argued which team got the upper hand. But no one really knew because there are no microwaved answers to these types of questions.
As always, only time will tell.
Three conferences and 501 days since the swap became official, enough bodies of work have provided some clarity.
COLUMN: Mikey Williams returning to TNT via trade? Why not?
TNT is winning that blockbuster trade. And here are some of the reasons.
Since joining the Tropang 5G, Heading has immediately made an impact and helped the telecommunications giant reach the PBA Finals three conferences in a row.
HEADING IS BLOSSOMING AT TNT.
Although the Fil-Aussie has yet to win a 'chip, three shots at a title while at TNT is three more championship opportunities than Mikey has gotten at Converge, which has yet to make a deep playoffs run, even with the former TNT star on board.
In this ongoing Season 50 PBA Governors’ Cup, Heading is averaging 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per compared to Mikey’s 10.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game.
Earlier this Friday, Heading inked a three-year contract extension worth P1M a month including perks and bonuses, sources said.
Mikey, meanwhile, is still trying to rediscover the magic that made him a two-time PBA champion and two-time Finals MVP at TNT.
Unless he takes a massive pay cut from his reported US$26,000 a month salary including perks and bonuses, a contract extension is unlikely.
At age 34, the market for his services may no longer be as robust as it used to be.
Mikey could still flip the script but having just scored 3 points in 19 minutes of action in a blowout win over Macau on Friday night, that seems unlikely for now.
I still think trading for Mikey was a good move by Converge considering Mikey’s credentials at the time of the swap.
It just hasn’t worked out.
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