PBA: Justin Chua heads to TNT after three-team trade

Justin Chua joins TNT after serving at NLEX. – PBA PICTURES

MANILA, Philippines – The PBA on Thursday approved a three-team, six-player trade that sent defending champion Justin Chua to TNT.

Chua and Paul Varilla will move to Tropang Giga from the NLEX Road Warriors under a deal that also involved the Phoenix Fuel Masters.

TNT also received NLEX’s second round pick in next season’s Rookie Draft.

NLEX will get veterans Sean Anthony and Jake Pascual, who will reunite with former San Bead coach Frankie Lim, while Phoenix gets J-Jay Alejandro, Raul Soyud and TNT’s second-round pick in the league’s 52 season.

This will be Chua’s second appearance for TNT after four appearances in the 2017-18 season.

He got a chance to rekindle his form after his impressive performance in the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble, earning Chua the title of PBA Press Corps’ best defender while finishing second in the race for the Best Player award while playing with Phoenix.

The Road Warriors have Chua in the 2021-22 Governors Cup, but he has been inconsistent since Lim took over after the departure of coach Yeng Guiao.

He averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 13 games for NLEX in the recent Commissioner’s Cup.

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