By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rey Nambatac is now a Tropang Giga after the trade between Blackwater and TNT finally got the green light from the PBA trade committee on Tuesday, July 2 after several revisions were made to the initial deal.
In exchange for Nambatac, which Blackwater got on a separate trade with Rain or Shine before the start of the Philippine Cup last season, were big man Jewel Ponferrada, backup guard Kib Montalbo and a future second round pick in the Season 53 draft.
It was the version that was deemed fair by the trade committee after what supposed to be a deal that would send Nambatac to TNT for only Montalbo and the pick were thumbed down.
In hopes of convincing the trade committee to pull the trigger on the trade, TNT made several wheeling and dealing that saw names of Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Paul Varilla and Barkley Ebona getting thrown into the mix.
With Nambatac’s addition, TNT finally got its hands on a potent offensive weapon at the point guard position – a void that the Tropang Giga have been long trying to fill in since efforts to re-sign Mikey Williams fell apart two seasons ago.
Nambatac would also help alleviate the huge role of Jayson Castro who remained effective for the team although extended minutes had obviously taken a toll on the 38-year-old guard especially during the playoffs.
Through the Philippine Cup, Nambatac’s lone conference with the Bossing had him averaging 11.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per contest.
Blackwater, meanwhile, got a reliable big man to add depth to its frontline that only had Bradwyn Guinto and Clifford Jopia and could play alongside stretch forwards Justin Chua, Troy Rosario and Christian David.
Montalbo, on the other hand, can provide tenacity on the defensive end for a Blackwater team which struggled with its defense the past conference.
