The Best Trades in Alaska History

Last Friday, the Alaska Aces completed a trade that sent LA Tenorio, the man who had been the face of the franchise, to Ginebra San Miguel, in a five-team deal that netted them JVee Casio and Dondon Hontiveros. It was a risky trade, to be sure; Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo called it a “leap of faith.”

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

Alaska Aces , Bong Hawkins , Cyrus Baguio , Don Allado , Jeffrey Cariaso , Joe devance , Kenneth Duremdes , LA Tenorio , Larry Fonacier , Mike Cortez , PBA , Rodney Santos , The List , Willie Miller

Barako Bull trade wish list: Maliksi, Baguio and Yeo

Barako Bull lost its second leading local scorer and crunch time closer when it traded Willie Miller as part of a monster five-team deal completed last Friday.
Coach Junel Baculi makes it no secret that his team are looking at trade options to fill Miller’s big shoes.
Barako Bull coaching staff has crafted a wish list composed of high-flying, talented wingmen: Allein Maliksi of Ginebra San Miguel, Cyrus Baguio of Alaska and Joseph Yeo of Petron Blaze.
“Hindi naman masama mag-wish di ba? Wish list lang naman yan so we have included these names on our list,” Baculi told InterAKTV in a telephone interview.
Of the three, acquiring Baguio appears to be a long shot.
“Malamang hindi bitawan ng Alaska yan,” said Baculi.
The other two players, however, could be available with the right offer.
Maliksi, who began his career with Barako Bull last season, plays the No. 3 spot for Ginebra, sharing the same position with Dylan Ababou, Elmer Espiritu, and Filipino-American rookie Chris Ellis.
Yeo, on the other hand, is part of a congested swing rotation for Petron, which also includes former SMART-Gilas Pilipinas standouts Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter, rookie Alex Mallari, Joseph Yeo, and Wesley Gonzales.
Baculi said he will leave the wheeling and dealing of players to Barako Bull management.
“We’ve already told them what we need. We need someone who can replace Miller because he’s a big part of our squad. We need a closer and a scoring big guard,” he said.

-Rey Joble, InterAKTV

Allein Maliksi , Barako Bull , Cyrus Baguio , Joseph Yeo , PBA