By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It’s final. CJ Perez is now a member of the Beermen.
After a week of deliberation regarding Perez’s trade from the Terrafirma Dyip to the San Miguel Beermen, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and the rest of the committee confirmed the approval of the blockbuster deal.
The recent trade involved Gelo Alolino, Matt-Ganuelas Rosser, Russel Escoto, and two first-round picks (2020 & 2022 PBA draft) from San Miguel in exchange for Perez.
Initially, the Beermen did not include their 2022 PBA first-round pick and only planned to ship their 2020 first-round pick but terms changed during the final stages of the deal.
The addition of Perez will label San Miguel as one of the more favored teams to win the PBA title in addition to six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo returning after the injury that kept him sidelined for almost one year.
Also, the presence of Moala Tautuaa, Alex Cabagnot, Chriss Ross, Terrence Romeo, Marcio Lassiter, and Arwind Santos will still give them the upper hand in terms of depth.
However, Perez will not be able to join the Beermen in the first weeks of their practice as he is still in the Inspire Sports Academy in preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
A new generation of Beermen will be witnessed in the next PBA season. Will they win the title with Perez’s boost?
