MANILA – NLEX and Converge pulled off the first trade of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) by sending two Road Warriors to the FiberXers for a future pick.
As confirmed by Coach Yeng Guiao on Tuesday, NLEX traded David Murrell and the draft rights to Tyrus Hill, the seventh overall pick of last Sunday's draft, for Converge's first-round pick for Season 48.
Guiao explained that the swap had to be done for the Road Warriors to get someone from the 2023 draft class since they had already given up their first-round pick in an earlier trade.
"Wala kasi kaming (We don't have a) pick next year because we already dealt that to Phoenix in the Justin Chua trade," Guiao explained through the Road Warriors' website.
On the other hand, Guiao added that Murrell has been added to the package to open a roster spot for Larry Fonacier, who will return to the Road Warriors after spending the previous season with sister team CAVITEX Braves in the PBA 3x3.
With the development, Converge essentially got three first-round selections from the draft as they took former Gilas cadet Jeo Ambohot and incoming Gilas pool member Justin Arana at numbers three and four, respectively.
Guiao said the PBA Commissioner's Office has already approved the trade, but the league has yet to announce it as of posting. (PNA)
