But the Aces franchise is no stranger to making bold, risky moves that involve big names. For example, in 1992, the team sent reigning Rookie of the Year Eugene Quilban to 7-Up in exchange for backup point guard Jun Reyes.
In 2001, Alaska traded Johnny Abarrientos, perhaps the greatest player in franchise history, along with Poch Juinio to Pop Cola for Ali Peek and Jon Ordonio. Two years later, the squad completed a draft-day deal that sent another former Most Valuable Player, Kenneth Duremdes, to Sta. Lucia for the fifth overall pick, which the Aces used on Brandon Cablay.
But more often than not Alaska comes out on the winning end of big trades. In this latest installment of The List, we count down the best trades — or as we like to call them, the Wacky Moves, in honor of longtime Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo — in the history of the Aces franchise.
10. Acquired Rodney Santos and Bryant Punzalan from Purefoods for Cris Bolado (1997)
After winning the Grand Slam in 1996, members of Alaska were hot commodities around the league. Jeffrey Cariaso signed an offer sheet with the rebuilding Mobiline squad, while bench players also received interest from other teams.
Backup center Cris Bolado was coveted by Purefoods, and the two teams agreed on a deal that sent Jumbo to the Corned Beef Cowboys in exchange for Rodney Santos and Bryant Punzalan.
While Bolado helped Purefoods to the 1997 All-Filipino Conference title, where he cemented his lucky charm reputation, Santos ended up as a valuable contributor for Alaska in the long run, backing up both guard positions and helping make up for the absence of Cariaso until the arrival of Kenneth Duremdes later in the season.
-Rey Joble, InterAKTV
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