MANILA — The trade that has been the talk of the town since the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals is finally on.
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) announced Tuesday that the revised version of the TNT swap with GlobalPort has been approved, and Terrence Romeo will now be playing for KaTropa.
As per the original proposal, the Batang Pier (GlobalPort) will acquire Mo Tautuaa in the process, but the new trade deal will now see Yousef Taha heading to the KaTropa.
On the other hand, TNT will ship its 2020 first-round pick and 2021 second-round pick to GlobalPort as well.
The trade rumors surrounding Romeo sprung up right after the Batang Pier’s PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal game against the Magnolia Hotshots that saw him and Coach Pido Jarencio exchanging words during a timeout.
It was revealed that GlobalPort and TNT tried to go for the Romeo-Tautuaa trade just before the playoffs of the soon-to-end conference. Bradwyn Guinto and Alfrancis Tamsi were also included in the package, only to be vetoed by a special trade committee formed by Commissioner Willie Marcial.
In the revised version that was given the green light on Tuesday, Romeo and Tautuaa would still swap kits, while Taha would provide the extra muscle inside for the KaTropa, even as the Batang Pier can focus their rebuilding on their newly-acquired draft picks.
Interestingly, Romeo, Taha, and Tautuaa will make their debut with their new clubs against each other as TNT and GlobalPort face off in the opening night of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on April 22. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
