We have seen several big moves this offseason. CJ Perez is now with the San Miguel Beermen. Calvin Abueva is now with Magnolia.
If you think the movements are already over, think again.
So, here are the top 10 players with a good chance of being moved. I ranked them according to their quality as a player and the likelihood that they will get traded.
#10 Kiefer Ravena
The return of coach Chot Reyes made the rumor about Kiefer stronger because the drive-and-kick scheme of coach Chot is powered by an elite point guard like Kiefer. Knowing the age of Jayson Castro, do not expect him to be the main driver again of coach Chot.
But, coach Yeng seems to be unwilling in unloading his superstar. NLEX already gave JP Erram last year. If they give up Kiefer, they will look like a farm team to their older brothers.
#9 Troy Rosario
TNT currently has more than seventeen players under contract. That makes it clear that they will make a move, no matter what.
The early buzz is that Rosario will be their main trade piece. The most popular one is that he is going to NLEX. But knowing Troy's value, NLEX will need to give up a big piece to get him and it seems like coach Yeng Guiao is not willing to do it again.
#8 Calvin Abueva
From Gov. Rene Pardo himself of Magnolia, Abueva may not yet be on his final team. If that is the case, Abueva then has a good chance of being unloaded. I am pretty sure Magnolia will not give him up if they will not get back a superstar. Knowing the image of the Purefoods franchise, I will not be shocked if they really plan to just use him as bait for a trade.
#7 Jerrick Balanza
I saw one post where Balanza was taking one of Ginebra's veteran players. It seems like, he is hinting that he will find a new team soon. Same with TNT, Ginebra is now at more than seventeen players. A clear indication that they will make a move.
Knowing that Balanza is connected to Northport because his college coach is there as the manager, makes me confident that Jerrick will be traded before the start of the season.
#6 Alex Cabagnot
Cabagnot was the loudest name out of the veteran core of San Miguel that will be part of the CJ Perez trade. It did not happen.
That doesn't mean though that Alex is now safe from being traded. There are buzzes that Fajardo's injury is not doing well as planned. That made me think that San Miguel could be forced to make one more move to acquire a younger big, that could help out their frontline rotation.
#5 Beau Belga
After Almazan and Manuel are traded, Belga now is the only guy with trade rumors spanning more than three years that is still with his team.
Even though coach Caloy Garcia is a huge fan of Big Bo, the opportunity to maximize him in grabbing younger and cheaper talents could finally force the hands of Rain or Shine. There are talks already that Rain or Shine is in advance talks about him.
Will they finally do it? I am leaning toward, yes.
#4 Roi Sumang
I do understand that Roi is not as good as the other nine players in this list. Nevertheless, Sumang is still a hell of a scorer. I really see him as a smaller version of Terrence Romeo but less-skilled.
Knowing that he is not under the FEU-tree, I do expect him to be exchanged for a piece that coach Nash Racela appreciates more.
#3 Greg Slaughter
The rumor last year was, he went on sabbatical to avoid being traded. He is back now. That doesn't mean that he is already safe from any trade. Knowing that he was the one who asked for a contract, there is a good chance that Ginebra accepted him back with the same intention.
Used him as the price for the #2 in this list.
#2 Christian Standhardinger
According to Snow Badua, the discussion of Magnolia and Northport about Christian could be over already. That means Christian may be bound for Ginebra. And now that Slaughter is there, Ginebra has the piece to exchange for him.
The camp of Northport has been silent about their team and Standhardinger. A sign that they are trying to avoid saying anything to the media that can backfire to them in the near future.
#1 Don Trollano
Trollano is not a superstar. He is just one of the hardest working dudes in the league. Capable of scoring a lot of points, defending the best players of the others and diving for the loose ball.
According to Snow, Meralco is really interested in him. It seems like they already want to prepare for the old age of Cliff Hodge. Mac Belo though is already with them. So, the potential of Belo getting into a new team and Trollano getting to Meralco, is real.
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