MANILA – Bryan Faundo has been added to the mix as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Office approved the two-team, three-player trade between Blackwater Elite and Meralco Bolts.
Based on the Thursday afternoon trade, the veteran forward Faundo is joining Baser Amer in Blackwater in exchange for Antiqueño Rey Mark Belo’s transfer to the Bolts.
Bolts head coach Norman Black said it was hard for him to let go of “important players” like Amer and Faundo but needed to execute the Belo trade to fill in their frontline deficiency.
“To gain something of value, you, unfortunately must lose something of value as well. We thank Baser and Bryan, and we recognize all of their contributions. We wish them nothing but the best in their careers,” Black said.
“We recruited Mark Belo because our frontcourt is one of the areas where we need depth. We welcome him to the team and look forward to seeing his impact on our team,” he added.
Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy also admitted that losing Belo in the trade was tough for the team but is looking forward that veteran smarts like Amer will provide to the team in the upcoming PBA season.
“We need an honest to goodness team leader, and I think Baseris that guy,” Sy said in an interview with Spin.ph. “We will definitely miss Mac, but we are looking for a guy to organize and settle the team.”
“Mac is a good kid. Very humble, soft-spoken. I am really grateful for the years he played for us in Blackwater,” added Sy, the former chairman of the defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL).
The 27-year-old Belo, a former Far Eastern University Tamaraws standout, had a solid showing for Blackwater last season after averaging 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
The 28-year-old Amer, a former starting guard of the San Beda University Red Lions, averaged 9.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in nine appearances for Meralco last season./PN
