What if they didn’t let these players go?
Not a few PBA fans were dismayed over Terrafirma’s latest move to trade a former No. 1 overall pick in Joshua Munzon.
On Thursday, the Dyip sent Munzon to NorthPort for Kevin Ferrer and fans could only let out an incredulous sigh.
Well, it’s hard to blame them. After all, this isn’t the first time the franchise has made a similar decision since entering the league as an expansion team in 2014.
If they had kept all of those top picks, some believe the Dyip could have had a formidable team that would contend for a championship.
But they didn’t, so we all we can do now is ask the question, “What if they didn’t let these players go?”
We wouldn’t know. But here’s the list of top Terrafirma players that came and went anyway.
Roosevelt Adams (No. 1 pick, 2019 PBA Draft)
After his contract expired, the 6-foot-7 Adams didn’t sign an extension with the Dyip and opted to suit up for Japan B-League Division 2 squad Kagawa Five Arrows.
The Fil-Am cager is averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Five Arrows.
CJ Perez (No. 1 pick, 2018)
The Dyip let go of the former Rookie of the Year to powerhouse San Miguel Beermen for Gelo Alolino, Russel Escoto, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, and two future picks.
This trade didn’t sit well with some fans, who stipulated that the “rich get richer,” referring to the already-stacked Beermen receiving an MVP-caliber player in Perez.
Christian Standhardinger (2017)
This is perhaps the most controversial of them all.
Days before the draft, then-commissioner Chito Narvasa approved a deal that gave the Beermen the No. 1 Pick of Kia Picanto, Terrafirma's former franchise identity. SMB eventually used that pick to nab Standhardinger. At what cost? Ronald Tubid, Jay-R Reyes, Rashawn McCarthy, and a 2019 first round pick.
This sent shockwaves through the local basketball community and it even caused an impasse among the PBA Board of Governors. They eventually reached an accord, while Narvasa stepped down from his post.
Honorable mention
Troy Rosario (No. 2 pick, 2015)
In a three-team trade in August 2015, Mahindra (now Terrafirma) sent the rights to the 2015 No. 2 overall pick to Talk ‘N Text and in return got Aldrech Ramos and KG Canaleta.
Jeremiah Gray (No. 2 pick, 2022)
Before Gray has gotten to enjoy the grandeur of playing in PBA in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup Finals, he was a Dyip for two days after the draft.
Then, the Season 47 No. 2 overall pick was traded to Ginebra for Javi Gomez De Liano and seldom-used Brian Enriquez.