MANILA – Converge FiberXers made another shuffle to its lineup on Wednesday, this time reuniting Jerrick Balanza with coach Aldin Ayo.
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) announced that it has approved a one-on-one trade sending Balanza to the FiberXers from the NorthPort Batang Pier in exchange for Allyn Bulanadi.
Balanza was part of Ayo's Letran team that won the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association title, and Balanza's familiarity with the "mayhem" system will be vital as Converge looks to finish some unfinished business in the PBA Governors' Cup later this month.
The Balanza-Bulanadi swap has been on the rumor radar since September with Kevin Ferrer and Tyrus Hill reportedly in the mix too.
Both clubs, however, denied that the trade is on, and Balanza even became a key player for NorthPort in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
Hill was eventually sent to Blackwater on Tuesday along with Mike Digregorio and RK Ilagan in a trade for Barkley Eboña and a 2023 first-round pick that originally belonged to TNT.
Hours before the first PBA game for 2023, Game 3 of the Commissioner's Cup Finals between Ginebra and Bay Area, the league approved the straight-up Balanza-Bulanadi swap. (PNA)
