Maverick Ahanmisi is set to join his brother Jerrick at Terrafirma just a week after formally requesting a trade from Ginebra.
Under the deal approved by the PBA trade committee on Wednesday, Oct 15, Ahanmisi along with Aljon Mariano were shipped by the Kings to the Dyip in exchange for the 51st season first round pick.
The trade came after Ahanmisi revealed in a vlog that he already talked to SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua to request a trade.
“I took a pretty big step last night and actually requested a trade for the first time,” said Ahanmisi on his vlog.
At his prime years at the age of 34, Ahanmisi said that he wanted to showcase his talent and there’s not much time left for him to play.
“As a player, you want the opportunity to showcase your talent, so it’s kind of a fine line between being patient and waiting your turn. But I just turned 34. I’m now at the back half of my career. There’s not much time to waste for me,” he explained.
At Ginebra, Ahanmisi was reduced to a backup to Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos.
Getting traded to the Dyip, meanwhile, would give him a chance to get big minutes and run the team alongside his younger brother.
He will also join a team brimming with young talent in the likes of Mark Nonoy and Paolo Hernandez but badly needing some veteran presence.
For the Kings, meanwhile, they put themselves in a position to take quality talents through the two first round picks in next year’s draft with its order depending on how well both the Kings and the Dyip perform in the ongoing Season 50.
After finishing dead last last season, Terrafirma held the first overall pick which it used to draft Geo Chiu. The Dyip had six top overall picks over the last eight seasons.
