SMB and Kia Trade Revision Still Unfair? What are the Potential Reasons Behind the Trade?

Kia and SMB are Cooking a Big and Controversial Trade

Will it work for both teams? Will it be fair this time?

The top and the bottom teams are working together and while many questions the move, there are definitely a few good reasons why Kia is letting go of their potential number one pick over a number of SMB role players. 

Kia has been the outlier of the PBA since they started, except maybe for one conference that no one actually remembers. While they certainly had some quality players who have come and go, they mostly either fail to get a hold of them or to make it work. Canaleta, Rosario, DiGregorio, Ramos, Mallari, Guinto and the list goes on. These are just some of the players who either played for Kia or could have played for the team. 

This season, they probably not only have the worst season but also the worst roster in the league.

Reason for Trading Number Pick: Maybe

Kia bolstering up their roster, one-time big time. Having four veterans and PBA tested players from SMB may help Kia cause in beefing up the roster right away without spending too much. While Standhardinger is a good player, he is not PBA tested yet and might not be fully committed to playing for the PBA especially since he still got a contract with an ABL team.  It's a risk to take Standhardinger but the reward may be great and Kia may not be ready to make that big leap as they play safe, but wait there is Kiefer Ravena if they want a sure player.

Why They Want the Stand Man?

What if Standhardinger got disqualified for not attending the PBA Draft Combine? Will SMB still push through with the trade?

The simple reason why SMB wants Standhardinger so much is that a true big man playing beside JunMar Fajardo would give the team a chance against other teams that also have bigs in their line up, like sister team Ginebra. SMB has been one of the best teams, in fact maybe still the best team in the PBA this season after winning two of the three conference championships and they are looking to upgrade their already great line up by adding Christian Standhardinger.

The trade for the number one pick will only work if Christian will be picked, if it's Kiefer Ravena or Jeron Teng then it may be a different story. And if those players are their target then they could have traded either Cabagnot, Ross or Lassiter because it will be such a waste of talent if Kiefer will be playing from the bench.

SMB and Kia Trade Revision Still Unfair, Here's why.

Age

Reyes 34

Mcarthy 28

Tubid 36

First round pick 

After, trying to pull a quick one, SMB is still trying to get the number 1 pick in a trade that may not change their team or may not present a true risk for SMB. RaShawn McCarthy, Keith Agovida, and Jr Reyes these are the names that could have been wearing the Kia jersey but PBA board was quick to veto as it was simply one-sided. Now with new names on the revision, SMB still tries to use a quick slight of hands as they dispose some old reliable names in the trade, and when we say old, we mean players that is on the downhill if not already there, except of course for Rosser who was also a disappointment after his highly advertised rookie season. 

Except for Espinas, SMB rarely uses its bench players and a movement of their bench players would not really affect their plays and chemistry on the court as they will be able to keep their mythical core in JunMar Fajardo the 4x MVB, Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter. The only thing that would change with SMB is the bench seating arrangements. 

Kia where are you going? 

Sometimes you question why a seemingly obvious move to keep the number one pick seems not the right one for the others. While other teams are willing to give away cash and multiple players for a rookie, it seems like Kia could not take a hint of the real value of the number one pick. Kia wherever you are going this season, I hope it's the right way because many think otherwise.


What do you think? Is this fair in your opinion?