Magnolia injected youth and athleticism into its lineup after acquiring high-flying forward Zav Lucero from NorthPort in a trade approved by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) on Monday.
The Hotshots unloaded guard Jio Jalalon and forward Abu Tratter to get the services of the 6-foot-7 sophomore.
Lucero, last year’s No. 5 overall pick by the Batang Pier, will add ceiling and extra body at the frontline that Magnolia lacked the past seasons.
The University of the Philippines product averaged 12.0 points, 5.42 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in his rookie year for NorthPort.
Lucero will add muscle underneath for the Hotshots alongside Ian Sangalang, Calvin Abueva, James Laput and Jackson Corpus.
Last year, Magnolia finished runner-up in the Commissioner’s Cup behind San Miguel Beer but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Cup.
The Hotshots unloaded guard Jio Jalalon and forward Abu Tratter to get the services of the 6-foot-7 sophomore.
Meanwhile, the Kings are not done revamping their roster for the coming season-opening Governors’ Cup next month after scoring big man Ben Adamos from the Batang Pier in exchange for Sidney Onwubere.
Prior to the move, Ginebra shipped Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle to Terrafirma for Isaac Go and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Stephen Holt in a trade that included a swap of Draft picks last Saturday.
The Gin Kings used the Dyip’s third pick to select guard RJ Abarrientos. Terrafirma picked Mark Nonoy at No. 10.
The Hotshots made a bold move a day after acquiring top guard Jerom Lastimosa as the No. 9 overall pick in the Season 49 Draft. Magnolia also selected Romulo Berjay and Ry dela Rosa in the second and third rounds, respectively.
On the other hand, Jalalon gives NorthPort’s backcourt a helping hand complementing Joshua Munzon, Paul Zamar, Fran Yu and Allyn Bulanadi.
Tratter and Onwubere are expected to contribute on defense and for plucking down boards to free up main gunner Arvin Tolentino on offense.