By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Former no. 1 pick of the PBA Rookie Draft Joshua Munzon just got shipped to the NorthPort Batang Pier in an approved trade deal last January 12, 2023.
In exchange for the Terrafirma Dyip scorer is veteran swingman Kevin Ferrer who is set to play for his third mother franchise after the Ginebra San Miguel and the Batang Pier.
The one-on-one trade became the talk of the town after PBA commissioner Willie Marcial and the rest of the committee revised the original proposal agreed upon by both parties.
According to the original trade package, Terrafirma was supposed to send Munzon and Javi Gomez de Liaño in exchange for Ferrer, Jesper Ayaay, and a future second-round pick.
However, the PBA office disapproved the original proposal which forced both franchises to go back to square one for the trade to push through.
The shocking trade then drew tons of criticisms from numerous PBA analysts and social media followers with some claiming that the trade favored the Batang Pier.
Munzon was the country’s former no.1 player in the 3×3 hoops scene and was the main gunner of the Chooks-to-Go national team before taking his talents to the PBA.
The combo guard was poised to take over the Terrafirma franchise after impressing in his rookie year, averaging 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
Munzon’s production eventually dipped down during his sophomore year and was also hounded by multiple injuries including one in his leg that kept him out for almost one conference last year.
Despite his offensive prowess, he still failed to lead Terrafirma to their first-ever playoff appearance in the last five years.
On the other hand, Ferrer was a steady contributor for head coach Pido Jarencio and the Batang Pier franchise.
Ferrer was the team’s top three-point shooter alongside superstar Robert Bolick but saw his playing time decrease after young forward Jerrick Balanza was used more in the rotation.
