BACK on June 18, 2019, the PBA was shaken to its foundation when Barangay Ginebra acquired Fil-Am guard Stanley Pringle in a major trade with NorthPort in exchange for relievers Kevin Ferrer, Jervy Cruz, and Solomon Mercado.
If that deal raised a lot of eyebrows, fans shouldn't have been surprised. For that Pringle trade turned out to be the precursor for more NorthPort deals years later - some worse than others, but most leaving the Batang Pier looking shipwrecked.
Years since that Pringle deal as well as Terrence Romeo's move to TNT in 2018, the trades made by NorthPort have become progressively worse, especially in the last few years when the Batang Pier ended up facing accusations that they've become a 'farm team' for ballclubs belonging to the PBA's major blocs.
Let's look back on all these trades:
2021: Standhardinger to Ginebra for Slaughter
The one-on-one deal was one of the biggest swaps of big men in the PBA, and it looked fair from a purely assets standpoint, except that Slaughter at the time of the trade was coming off a messy contract dispute with Ginebra that saw him take a self-imposed sabbatical. Although the seven-footer returned to the Kings' fold, it became clear he had worn out his welcome at Ginebra, which found a willing trade partner in NorthPort.
2022: Jamie Malonzo to Ginebra in three-team deal
Malonzo was picked second overall by NorthPort in the 2020 PBA draft and by 2022, it was obvious the high-flyer out of La Salle was one of the most athletically gifted studs in the pro league. Not long after he was traded by the Batang Pier to Ginebra in a three-way deal that also involved San Miguel and saw the Kings part with Arvin Tolentino, Kent Salado, Prince Caperal, and Jeff Chan. The silver lining in this deal? Tolentino blossomed into a Best Player of the Conference awardee with the Batang Pier.
2023 Robert Bolick to NLEX in five-player deal
In the case of Bolick, it was both: NorthPort lost him and then traded him. The former San Beda star left the Batang Pier to sign with Japan B.League B2 side Fukushima Firebonds in early 2023. But when things didn't work out overseas, the third pick overall of the 2018 draft didn't return to NorthPort, which held his PBA signing rights, and instead was shipped to NLEX in a five-man trade.
2024 Zavier Lucero to Magnolia for Jio Jalalon, Abu Tratter
The former UP star landed on the lap of NorthPort at No. 5 overall since he was nursing an ACL injury at that time of the 2023 draft. But the Batang Pier's gamble paid off as the nimble big man impressed in the team's orange and white. Unfortunately for NorthPort fans, Lucero won't spend his best years with the team as he was shipped to Magnolia on July 15, 2024 in a post-draft trade for Jio Jalalon and Abu Tratter.
2025 JM Calma to San Miguel for Avan Nava, draft pick
JM Calma was a big man on the rise for the Batang Pier in 2024, averaging 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in the Philippine Cup before suffering an ACL injury in April 2024. The 6-foot-6 big man never played another game for the team again as he was shipped to San Miguel on April 2, 2025 in a trade for rarely used rookie Avan Nava and a future second-round pick.
2025 William Navarro to Magnolia for Abueva, Balanza, draft pick
With Lucero gone and Arvin Tolentino out injured, Navarro spread his wings at NorthPort in the Philippine Cup, averaging a double-double of 20.57 points and 10.57 rebounds through seven games. But the former Gilas Pilipinas ace found himself jumping from a NorthPort team reeling towards an early end to its season to the league leader on Wednesday when he was traded to Magnolia for Calvin Abueva, Jerrick Balanza and a future second-round pick. The deal comes 10 months after the Lucero deal, basically transporting the Batang Pier's promising frontcourt to the Hotshots.
Aside from the prized assets traded, NorthPort also lost two players in the negotiations table.
Greg Slaughter
Slaughter's stay at NorthPort after the Standhardinger deal didn't last long, as the former Ginebra mainstay grew increasingly frustrated especially after the controversy over a late substitution of Slaughter in a game that the Batang Pier ended up losing to Magnolia. Soon after he was gone, moving to Fukuoka in the second division of the Japan B.League - his home until last year when he returned to the Philippines, not to play for the Batang Pier but for Manila in the MPBL. His PBA signing rights still belong to NorthPort.
Dave Ildefonso
The son of two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso was coming off a stint in the Korea league when he applied for the PBA draft, where he was picked by NorthPort at No. 5 overall. However, the former Ateneo star never signed with the Batang Pier after drawn-out negotiations further muddled by his dad's 'farm team' comments in response to fans on social media. Dave has since taken his act to Abra in the MPBL, where he is having an MVP-worthy season. Like Slaughter, Ildefonso's PBA rights still belong to NorthPort.
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