Nambatac joins TNT after trade for Blackwater's Montalbo, Ponferada

MANILA, Philippines – Sting-Rey is now officially a part of the TNT Tropang Giga. 

Rey Nambatac has been officially acquired by TNT from the Blackwater Bossing, the PBA announced on Tuesday. 

The guard was traded for guard Kib Montalbo, Jewel Ponferada and TNT’s Season 53 second round pick.

It was finally approved by the league almost a month after the first deal was proposed by the two teams. 

In the first proposal, TNT traded Montalbo and a future second round pick. However, it was not approved by the league before Ponferada was added into the deal. 

In the PBA Philippine Cup, Nambatac averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game for the Bossing.

He is expected to be a main gun for the Tropang Giga, which bowed out of the quarterfinals in both the Commissioner’s Cup and the All-Filipino Conference. 

The lefty guard will form a potent scoring trio with Calvin Oftana and RR Pogoy. 

The Bossing, meanwhile, will have a steady guard in Montalbo and a proven vet in Ponferada. 

Montalbo averaged just 3.4 points, 2.1 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game in the All-Filipino conference. 

Ponferada, on the other hand, finished the locals-only cup with 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists a contest. 

Nambatac’s journey with Blackwater lasted just a few months. He was traded from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in February.