B-MEG, Barako, Ginebra seek approval for Raymundo, Intal, Ababou deal

AKTV/Paolo Papa

The PBA has received the blockbuster trade proposal involving five players from Barako Bull, B-MEG, and Barangay Ginebra.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud confirmed that his office has received the deal. In the transaction, B-MEG would receive Gin Kings forward JC Intal and a 2012 2nd round pick from Barako Bull that originally belonged to Air 21, formerly Shopinas.com. Ginebra would get Llamados forward Kerby Raymundo and Energy rookie Dylan Ababou. Barako Bull would end up with Gin Kings veteran swingman Ronald Tubid and rookie Reil Cervantes, as well as a second round draft pick in 2014 from Ginebra.

The deal is not yet final, however, as Salud has the right to veto or revise trades that he perceives to be imbalanced.

An earlier report by InterAKTV confirmed that Raymundo and Intal will begin training with their new squads as early as Friday.

A 10-time all-star selection and a three-time member of the PBA mythical squad, Raymundo has been part of the Purefoods franchise since 2002, winning the Governors’ Cup finals Most Valuable Player award in his first tournament with the team. After missing most of last season due to injury, the former Letran stalwart made a triumphant return for the Llamados in the Philippine Cup, ranking first on the team in assists, second in rebounding, and third in scoring.

Intal was a reliable role player for the Gin Kings, averaging 9.2 points per game in the Philippine Cup, good for fifth on the team.

Ababou, a former SMART-Gilas Pilipinas backup forward, had a solid rookie campaign for Barako Bull, averaging 11.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Picked 10th overall, Ababou will be joining another former Barako rookie, No. 8 pick Allein Maliksi, on the Ginebra lineup. Curiously, Barako Bull, Ginebra, and B-MEG were also involved in another blockbuster deal earlier this season that sent Maliksi and Rico Maierhofer to the Gin Kings.

This marks the second consecutive year that the Barako Bull franchise has traded away all its first round picks midway through the season. Last year, the team, then known as Air 21, traded its top three picks Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Rey Guevarra to San Miguel.

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