By REYNALD MAGALLON
Blackwater remained busy in the offseason after acquiring the services of Rey Nambatac from Rain or Shine in exchange for a first-round pick.
The trade papers have already been sent to the Commissioner’s Office and are only awaiting the approval from the league trade committee.
Nambatac’s acquisition was the latest move the Bossing made after finishing tied for the last spot in the 2023-’24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup standings with a 1-10 record.
The Ever Bilena franchise had also signed veteran and former two-time league Most Valuable Player James Yap to a one year deal after also getting his release papers from the Elasto Painters camp.
Nambatac has been at the center of numerous trade rumors with TNT, one of the emerging teams interested in acquiring the services of the former Letran standout.
It’s still unclear whether Nambatac will still be dealt to another team but Blackwater is also in search of a guard to man the point following the departure of Baser Amer and the injury of Jvee Casio.
The move ended the 30-year-old guard’s tenure at Rain or Shine which drafted him seventh overall in the 2017 draft. Nambatac has become the main man for the Elasto Painters especially during the time of former head coaches Chris Gavina and Caloy Garcia.
Although still playing significant minutes off the bench for Rain or Shine, Nambatac has taken a back seat in the rotation with head coach Yeng Guiao, who has a penchant on giving equal opportunities to his players, returned at the helm last season.
Nambatac remained solid still with 8.45 points, 2.45 rebounds and 2.45 assists through 17 minutes of playing time in the Commissioner’s Cup.
