Off-Season Overhaul: Identifying the Top Trade Targets for Converge, Magnolia, Rain or Shine, and Phoenix
As the new PBA season approaches, four of the league's most aggressive teams—Converge, Magnolia, Rain or Shine, and Phoenix—have spent the off-season making significant changes. From coaching shuffles to draft day deals and free-agent signings, each franchise has been proactive in shaping its roster. However, to truly elevate themselves, each team has one distinct player archetype they must target in the trade market to address their most glaring needs.
1. Converge FiberXers: The Versatile Forward
Converge has invested heavily in its big man rotation, now boasting the likes of Justin Arana and highly-touted rookie Justine Baltazar, backed up by veterans like Rafi Reavis. What they truly lack, however, is a versatile forward—a wing player who can bridge the gap between their bigs and their developing guards like Alec Stockton and Juan Gomez de Liaño.
The ideal target is a player who provides size on the perimeter, can switch defensively, and create offense without needing the ball constantly. A player in the mold of a Robbie Herndon-type (a familiar name to the franchise) or a skilled, long forward who can hit the corner three and attack closeouts would unlock their crowded interior. Adding this versatile piece would allow Coach Delta Pineda to deploy smaller, faster lineups that maintain defensive integrity while maximizing floor spacing for their star bigs.
2. Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots: The Power Center
The Magnolia Hotshots have a deep and talented roster built on their traditional brand of tough defense. Their center rotation features Ian Sangalang, James Laput, and Russell Escoto, which offers height and a variety of skills. However, to consistently compete with the league’s most dominant frontlines—namely San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and Ginebra’s twin towers—Magnolia could benefit from a true power center who is a relentless rebounder and a pure inside operator.
Sangalang is a versatile power forward/center, and Laput and Escoto are big, but a legitimate, bruising center who can focus purely on boxing out, getting tough rebounds, and anchoring the defense would allow Sangalang to play his more natural role as an offensive focal point. This addition would solidify their position as an elite defensive squad and relieve pressure from their guards.
3. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters: The Top-10 Player
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, especially with their key players healthy, are generally seen as a complete team with solid talent at every position, typical of a Coach Yeng Guiao-mentored squad. They have deep rotations and a proven system. Yet, their ceiling for a championship remains limited by one missing piece: a certified Top 10 player in the PBA.
Guiao’s system famously elevates role players and team chemistry, allowing them to compete in the playoffs. However, in the Finals, the margin for error shrinks, and teams often need a transcendent player to create a basket against suffocating defense or take over in the clutch. While the Elasto Painters have excellent players like Leonard Santillan and Gian Mamuyac, acquiring an established superstar—a perennial All-Star who commands double-teams—would significantly lighten the burden on their entire roster and provide the winning edge they’ve been chasing. The recent addition of Stanley Pringle helps with veteran leadership, but a current superstar is the ultimate goal.
I mean, Standhardinger will look good in Rain or Shine uniform.
4. Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters: The Young Blue-Chip Prospect
Phoenix has signaled its shift toward a modern, up-tempo style of play, but their main focus should be on building a sustainable core for the future. While they have made a few moves for veterans, their strategic trade target should be a young, blue-chip prospect—a player with high potential who might be languishing on the bench of a powerhouse team, perhaps an elite talent from a recent draft who hasn't found his footing.
The Fuel Masters have the assets and the roster flexibility to absorb a young player with a long-term vision. Trading for a potential franchise cornerstone, instead of a quick-fix veteran, aligns with the philosophy of building a new, competitive identity. This prospect would immediately become a focal point of their system, growing alongside their current youthful core and truly setting the foundation for the next chapter of the Fuel Masters franchise.
The Converge, NorthPort, and Phoenix three-way trade that brought Evan Nelle to the Fuel Masters shows Phoenix's aggressive approach to roster building.
You can get a closer look at the three-way trade between Phoenix, NorthPort, and Converge in this video: Phoenix, NorthPort, Converge engage in three-way trade.
Related Article: PBA Trade Rumors: Ginebra wants The Beast?
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