(c) PBA Media Bureau
The elimination round of the 2019 Commissioner's Cup is finally over. Seven teams have qualified for the playoffs while Meralco Bolts and Alaska Aces will battle for the final spot.
In this series of articles, we will look at the eliminated teams and name their #1 trade asset. When I say #1 trade asset, this is the player that will provide the most value to them. It is not only about how loaded is the possible return but also about how impactful will be their departure to their current team.
Let us start with NLEX, Columbian and Phoenix.
NLEX - JR Quinahan
JR is already 35 years old but the supply of bigs who can defend and shoot threes is really low. So, JR is still valuable to the league. Just look at his production this conference. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 three-point make per game.
Now, with JP Erram in the team, JR has taken a backseat in the rotation of NLEX. According to sources, Michael Miranda is also bound to go to NLEX. So, their bigman rotation will be just fine even if they trade JR. I do not think JR will get them a 1st round pick but there is a good chance he could get them a valuable wingman.
Columbian - Russell Escoto
Actually, there are rumors that Escoto is already in the trade block and I think, that is a good decision. Escoto entered the league with good potential but injury concerns and injury time-off stagnated his development.
His value to the Dyip franchise was further reduced after Philip Cahilig overtakes him in the rotation. Cahilig is not as talented as Escoto but he is more useful today and is as young as him. There is a good chance that they can get a valuable veteran player in exchange of Russell.
Phoenix - RJ Jazul
Knowing that three-point shooting is the premium skill in this modern era of basketball, several teams will offer sweet packages to get RJ. RJ shot 34% and 43% this and last conference, respectively.
The biggest reason why Phoenix will be fine even if they trade RJ is the fact that he is not helping on the defensive end. What I mean is, they have a lot of limited defenders in their core line-up. So, having RJ with them opens up their defense more. Good defensive guards are much easier to find and some of them can even hit three-pointers.
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