PBA merry-go-round

TNT gets Oftana; Ginebra wants Malonzo

MANILA, Philippines — Major player movements seem to be the theme in the PBA days before the Commissioner’s Cup blasts off.

TNT acquired rising star Calvin Oftana and burly Raul Soyud yesterday upon approval of the three-team trade that also had Tropang Giga Troy Rosario and Gab Banal moving to Blackwater and the Bossing’s top rookie Brandon Rosser plus two future second round picks going to NLEX.

Almost simultaneously, talks revolved around another big swap centered on NorthPort young gun Jamie Malonzo.

The 6-foot-7 Malonzo is reportedly being eyed by Barangay Ginebra, which is willing to let go of Arvin Tolentino, Jeff Chan, Prince Caperal and Kent Salado to land the slam-dunking Fil-Am. The Gin Kings are also said to be working out another deal with the Batang Pier to ultimately get Von Pessumal from San Miguel Beer.

The TNT-Blackwater-NLEX switch officially got the green light but with minor revisions. The Bossing’s second-round picks in the 2023 and 2025 drafts were added, instead of Paul Desiderio.

Tropang Giga team manager Jojo Lastimosa said their move is in line with their long-term program.

“Our team is just trying to secure our future by acquiring Calvin and Raul. This has been the plan of management in preparation for the eventual retirement of Ryan (Reyes) and Kelly (Williams),” Lastimosa told The STAR. “As of now, those two vets are still capable of contributing on and off the court but Father Time, as they say, is undefeated, so we will continue to plan for the future.”

TNT coach Chot Reyes said there were “mixed feelings” to let Rosario and Banal go.

“Troy is the consummate pro and ideal team player. He gave us everything he had and more. Gab, too, never gave us any problems in the short stint he had here,” Reyes said. “But such is the nature of this profession. In our desire for the future, we had to make this tough, tough decision.”

Bossing mentor Ariel Vanguardia said he looks forward to having Rosario and Banal, who won one title and one runner-up with TNT.

“Troy and Gab give us a lot of playoff experience,” he said.

Vanguardia stressed that trading players such as Rosser is part of the game.