THE year 2023 is barely 10 days old yet NorthPort has already pulled off not one, not two but three trades.
Just five days after trading Jerrick Balanza to Converge for Allyn Bulanadi who it later sent to San Miguel for free agent Paul Zamar and a future second-round pick, news leaked that NorthPort was acquiring Joshua Munzon and Javi Gomez de Liano from Terrafirma in exchange for Kevin Ferrer, Jesper Ayaay and a future second-round pick.
Not a few fans were stunned to wake up to the news about the trade, which was later reduced into a Munzon-for-Ferrer one-on-one swap when it was approved by the PBA trade committee on Thursday.
READ: Munzon-for-Ferrer one-on-one swap approved by PBA
Some fans, however, were more outraged than surprised to see another former No. 1 pick of Terrafirma head to another team. They were in fact quick to remind us about the career paths of Roosevelt Adams, CJ Perez and a No. 1 draft pick which the Dyip traded to San Miguel and turned into Christian Standhardinger.
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Additionally, former Terrafirma No. 2 pick Jeremiah Gray never got to play a single game for the Dyip before ending up at Ginebra, ironically in exchange for Gomez de Liano. Adams also left the Dyip to play in Taiwan and later Japan.
Considering Perez ended up at San Miguel while Gray and Standhardinger are now at Ginebra, a lot of fans have come out on social media to predict Munzon's next destination after what they expect to be a NorthPort 'stopover.'
Incidentally, C-Stan also passed by the NorthPort detour before ending up at Ginebra.
Here are just a few of the comments on our FB page:
But let's all give NorthPort the benefit of the doubt. The Batang Pier have built quite a young, talented lineup led by Babes Bolick and Arvin Tolentino and should be a force to be reckoned with with new pieces like Munzon .
Until then, let's give them the benefit of the doubt.