Trade Analysis: STAR-BWE - Was it a mistake for the Hotshots?

Allein Maliksi exploded for 22 points in his debut for the Elite. He was fantastic and looks like a capable primary offensive carrier.

So, does that made the move idiotic for the Hotshots?

STAR HOTSHOTS
Allein Maliksi was only playing 16.7 minutes this conference. He was pretty bad in the field, shooting 32.7%. So, can you blame the Star for trading him and trying to beef up their frontline rotation?

Coach Victolero pointed to Kyle Pascual as a possible future fixture of their bigmen rotation. Kyle has the potential to be a stretch guy, with his smooth shooting mechanics. He does look lost most of the time in defense.

The biggest problem though with the reasoning of coach Chito is the fact that Kyle is already 27 years old. If they really want to give him a chance to show up and grow, then their main frontline rotation next season should be Sangalang-Pingris-Ramos-Pascual.

Brondial and Reavis should be pushed out of the rotation. But, will Star really do that?

Bam Gamalinda will surely help them this conference. But, will they give him minutes to help them?

Their reasoning of the trade has a lot of holes. Maybe, just maybe, the management was just getting tired of him so they searched for a trade to dump him.

And it was not a good one.

Grade: D

BLACKWATE ELITE 
The Elite gave Kyle Pascual a chance to be a staple in their main rotation. He played 24 minutes and produced 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. That was underwhelming.

Blackwater provided the opportunity and cut bait right away after finding a legit talent. And that is the right decision. For a rebuilding team with legit core pieces in Mac Belo and JP Erram, surrounding them with legit talents is the best way for them to blossom.

Bam Gamalinda is already a veteran so he is not in sync with their timeline. Chris Javier is a low ceiling prospect but he is  a big man. He is also younger than Kyle Pascual.

Blackwater nailed this trade.

Grade: A