PBA Board ‘unanimously’ agrees against trade of No. 1 pick

Christian Standhardinger was the No. 1 overall pick by the San Miguel Beermen in the 2017 PBA Draft. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The PBA Board on Friday decided that teams won’t be able to trade the rights to the top overall pick beginning the 2019 draft.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the team with the worst record the season prior would be the only one to have the right to the top overall pick.

As per the PBA’s official website, the “PBA Board of Governors unanimously agreed against the trading of the number 1 pick.”

The PBA, then under commissioner Chito Narvasa, came under heavy scrutiny after it allowed Kia to trade the rights to the No. 1 pick to San Miguel Beer.

READ: Kia trades top pick to San Miguel

San Miguel, in exchange, traded away JayR Reyes, Ronald Tubid, Rashawn McCarthy, and its 2019 pick for the coveted pick which the Beermen used to select Fil-German big man Christian Standhardinger.

Marcial added that even though the rule will only take effect starting next year’s draft, there won’t be a repeat episode of the Standhardinger drama.

The PBA has a committee, composed of PBA legal counsel Melvin Mendoza, technical director and operations head Eric Castro, and technical team members Junior Bengua and Roscelle Fabie Teotico, that looks into proposed trades.

“All proposed trades go through the committee and once it does we trust the committee that I will give a fair judgment.”