PBA Trade Analysis: Ginebra won another Northport trade, right?

After making a big move last week, Northport and Ginebra decided to do a small one. Northport traded Jerrick Balanza and the #12 pick of the 2nd round for the #1 pick of the same round.

The first question then is, is the trade fair?

It all boils down to the value of a Balanza. Balanza was the #1 pick of the 2nd round of the 2019 PBA draft. 

So, in a way, Northport just traded the #13 pick of this year's draft for the #13 pick of the previous year's draft, and they also received the #24 pick.

If you look at it that way, it is easy to conclude that it was a fair one.

But, if we consider the fact that Ginebra actually anticipated, according to rumors, to add Balanza to the Standhardinger-Slaughter deal, and that the 2019 draft was considered a weak one and the 2020 draft is a strong one, you may see this as unfair trade.

To simplify, is Balanza a worthy player to be drafted at #13 this year if he did not join last year?

I think the answer is Yes. So, I consider this a fair one.

TEAM ANALYSIS
Ginebra

According to rumors, Ginebra wants to get another premium shooter like Jerrick Ahanmisi and Joshua Torralba. That is the reason why they decided to make this trade. But, if we think about it, shooting is also one of the offerings of Balanza.

Did coach Tim Cone saw that Balanza was just over-hyped in terms of his shooting? Nevertheless, they basically paid the #24 pick to basically try again. 

Grade: D

Northport

For Northport, the question is, are there players available at #13, better than Balanza? Balanza is only 25 years old and has proven himself as a capable scorer for a winning basketball team. He also has the size to have an advantage against small guards and the agility against the big ones.

I do not think that there are prospects that are clearly better than Balanza at #13. Also, after the departure of Standhardinger, a player who can create his own shot is actually a need now by Northport.

Grade: B