Revised trade gets green light from PBA as Nambatac moves to TNT

Rey Nambatac PBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — After several revisions, sweet-shooting guard Rey Nambatac's transfer to TNT is finally approved.

The left-handed former Letran gunner has been dealt to the Tropang Giga in exchange for guard Kib Montalbo, veteran big man Jewel Ponferada and a future second round draft pick (Season 53). The latest revised trade was formally given a green light by the PBA trade committee on Tuesday.

Originally, the 30-year-old Nambatac was shipped by Blackwater in exchange for Montalbo and a second round draft pick in the first week of June. But that deal was thumbed down by the trade committee.

The latest trade move is expected to bolster a TNT ball club that is keen at restructuring its aging roster under head coach Chot Reyes.

Though TNT won the Season 47 Governors' Cup in April 2023, the Tropang Giga suffered a big blow when multi-talented guard Mikey Williams, who emerged the Finals Most Valuable Player in the Governors' Cup, ended in a contractual dispute with the team last year.

In the just-ended PBA Season 48, TNT failed to get past the quarterfinals in the Commissioner's Cup and Philippine Cup as the team sustained injuries to several key players.

TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa believes the entry of the sweet-shooting Nambatac brings stability to the squad's backcourt, which for over a decade has been manned by veteran star Jayson Castro.

"We will have a proven scorer and a table setter. So when Jayson rests, he (Nambatac) can keep the team together still," Lastimosa told the Manila Times.

Nambatac averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his one-conference tenure with the Bossing.

The former Letran guard was dealt by Rain or Shine to Blackwater last February.

Nambatac spent his first five and a half seasons as a pro with Rain or Shine, which selected him seventh overall in the 2017 PBA Draft.