MANILA – Rumored for years, the trade centered on NorthPort Batang Pier’s Christian Standhardinger and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’ Gregory Slaughter is reportedly close to completion.
Panay News learned from a source on Tuesday that both teams have already agreed in principle to swap the two centers ahead of the 2021 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.
The informant added that the trade papers were already on their way to the PBA Commissioner’s Office up for evaluation by the league-formed trade committee.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial, in an interview with Bea Micaller of The Daily Tribune on Tuesday, said his office has yet to receive the trade papers of the two squads.
“It’s not yet there,” Marcial said. “We will post the trade on the PBA website as soon as it has been formally approved.”
It is not the first time that Standhardinger and Slaughter were rumored to swap places as it was initially planned to be completed before the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup.
The swap, however, did not push through with Slaughter deciding not to sign a contract extension with the Kings last year as he chose to return to the United States to “take a break.”
Even with the absence of Slaughter, the Kings still went on to capture the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup championship last year at the expense of the TNT Tropang GIGA.
The impending arrival of Standhardinger, if the trade pushes through, will be huge for the title-retention bid of the Kings, particularly with other squads also shoring its roster.
Slaughter, on the other hand, is expected to have a fresh start with the Batang Pier after sharing the court in his entire PBA career with Kings forward Japeth Aguilar./PN
