In hindsight, it felt like the Rey Nambatac trade was a good deal for Rain or Shine. The disgruntled former Letran Knight wants a bigger role with the Elasto Painters but Yeng Guiao has other ideas.
Nambatac still averaged a shade under ten points per game, but he lost his top spot to former DLSU star Andrei Caracut. The former second-round pick averaged almost 15 points per game in the Commissioner's Cup.
Also, with Santi Santillan and Keith Datu also averaging in double figures, it's funny that the mentor who studied in La Salle has a bunch of DLSU-affiliated players on top of his team's scoring list (Datu almost played for the Green Archers had not for the pandemic.)
So Rain or Shine shipped Nambatac to Blackwater in exchange for a 2024 (Season 49) first-round pick and a 2025 (Season 50) second-round pick. Considering how bad Blackwater was in the recently concluded conference, this is a good thing for the Elasto Painters.
And oh, I almost forgot.
Blackwater gave up their TNT picks to Rain or Shine. While picks are still picks, and TNT is still reeling because of the debacle that is the Mikey Williams contract negotiations, TNT can easily turn their game around with a good import. Instead of playing with original choice Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, TNT started their campaign with former NBA player Quincy Miller before RHJ took over. However, RHJ was subbed for another RHJ (his brother Rahlir) after suffering a conference-ending injury. TNT finished the first round with a so-so 5-6 record but was fortunately able to catch the final quarterfinal spot.
Unfortunately, TNT lost to the Magnolia Hotshots in a 25-point rout, ending their rocky campaign.
If this is the end of the season, then Rain or Shine would have had the fifth pick of the draft, and then they would take the sixth pick because of their win-loss record.
Nice?
Probably.
Except that, Blackwater is tied with Converge in terms of futility with a 1-10 record.
Converge is possibly throwing the season so they can select Justine Baltazar.
This is not a farfetched idea.
San Antonio majored in throwing seasons and while the Victor Wembanyama selection failed to skyrocket the Spurs' season, the one they had Tim Duncan did.
And with this in mind, Rain or Shine can use a superstar in their squad. Yes, Yeng Guiao is the type of coach who would rather use Caracut and Jhonard Clarito than a bonafide star player, but this did not stop him from using the likes of Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas when he had the resources at NLEX. I doubt if we're going to see the Far East Pinoy imports returning but this would also improve the ROS roster.