The 2018 Commissioner's Cup is already underway! It also means the trading table is also open for some business!
For Magnolia, Phoenix and Meralco, these are their vital trade targets.
Magnolia - A defensive forward
The arrival of Vernon Macklin and the breakout of Ian Sangalang should be enough to push their frontline from a weakness into a reliable position. Missing Marc Pingris though, means they badly need a forward who is capable of locking-down the top wings and forwards of the league.
I think the most ideal target will be one of the role-players of their Kuya, San Miguel Beermen. I am talking about Matthew Ganuelas-Rosser. MGR, has shown the capacity to knockdown the long shot and we all saw in the finals that he is not only a phenomenal one-on-one defender but also great at doing team defense.
What can Magnolia offer? I doubt San Miguel is really looking for a player with the depth of their line-up. Maybe their 2018 1st can suffice.
Phoenix - A bigman
Phoenix is not lacking on the wings and they have enough on the guard position. Their frontline though badly needs a boost. Of course, the obvious target is Raymond Almazan. Almazan could be the perfect partner of James White and can be a lethal pick-and-roll partner of Matthew Wright.
One interesting target could be Jay-R Reyes of Kia. Reyes has developed an outside shot, which is a good ingredient for Phoenix. Other than that, he can rebound and will be physical inside. The primary reason why I think Reyes could be the better choice is the price. They may get Reyes in exchange for one of their role-playing guards, and his impact will surely outweigh that.
Meralco - A bigman
Meralco has been looking for an elite big in the last two seasons. Just imagine if they have one in their two Governors' Cup Finals encounters against Ginebra. They may have gotten one of the rings.
Just like Phoenix, and all the other franchises out there that are looking for a bigman, Raymond Almazan should be their target. Now, the 2nd question is, who are the other possibilities for Meralco?
Bradwyn Guinto could be available. We all heard his name on the first proposed TNT-GBP trade. If Globalport is willing to make him as just a sweetener, there is a good chance that Meralco can get him for a good price.
Guinto is an above average post scorer and coach Norman Black knows how to incorporate post scorers into their offense. Other than that, Guinto is a legit space-eater inside, which is a good counter against tall frontlines in the league.
One other possibility is Raymond Aguilar. Aguilar was pick-up by Ginebra and he showed his value during his stint with them in the Philippine Cup. Aguilar is a bully inside and can really hit threes. If PBA follows the path of the NBA, the value of stretch-bigs will increase as the time-goes-by.
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