Phoenix guard Aljin Melecio has been traded to Converge. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines–The PBA on Friday approved a trade that will reunite sophomore guard Aljun Melecio and his former college coach Aldin Ayo.
Ayo and the Converge FiberXers officially acquired Melecio and big man Kris Porter from the Phoenix Fuel Masters in exchange for rookie Kurt Lojera and second-year center Ben Adamos.
Both teams agreed on Thursday, but had to wait for the league’s trade committee before the deal could be made official.
Even before the deal was given the green light, the newly-installed Converge coach seems to be hinting at more moves.
“Everytime you go to war, you need your best soldiers. More to come…” Ayo said in a Facebook post.
Melecio leaves the Fuel Masters after one year and one conference where he showed flashes of becoming a key part of the rotation.
But the second round pick of the 2021 Draft appears to be dealing with little to no trouble adjusting to a new system as he joins forces anew with Ayo, who handled Melecio when La Salle won the UAAP championship in 2016.
Converge will be Porter’s third team since being drafted by NLEX in 2019. But his Phoenix stint lasted just seven months after he was part of the Justin Chua trade last February.
Lojera is heading to Phoenix after his first conference with the league while Adamos will face new management anew after a rookie year with Alaska was followed by the entry of Converge this season.