PBA: Salud approves revised Lassiter to Petron deal

After a tournament's worth of rumors, whispering and revision, Marcio Lassiter is now a member of the Petron Blaze Boosters.

 

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud received a revised deal Friday and approved it later in that same day. The approved trade sends Marcio Lassiter, this season's number four overall pick, and reserve guard Celino Cruz to the Petron franchise. In exchange, the Powerade Tigers get back 2010 overall second pick Rabeh Al-Hussaini, 2010 overall third pick Rey Guevarra and veteran Lordy Tugade.

 

PBA Media Officer Willie Marcial confirmed the deal via text, saying, "The terms of the revised trade are hereby approved. There is acceptable parity in the cumulative skills, value, use and potential the players from each side of the trade will bring to their respective teams."

 

In the first version of the deal submitted to the league office back in February, Petron dealt 2010 overall number one pick Nonoy Baclao along with Guevarra in exchange for Lassiter. Salud turned down the deal and advised both parties to revise the deal. 

 

Lassiter played 10 games for the Tigers in the Commissioner's Cup, averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in 39.8 minutes of action. Cruz, in a back-up role, normed 0.89 points and 1.22 rebounds over eight minutes in nine games. 

 

In exchange for those two, Petron gave up three players that could use extra playing time after being stuck to the Blaze Boosters' bench. Rey Guevarra logged an average of 16.4 minutes in five games. He produced 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists in that span. Injuries limited Rabeh Al-Hussaini to four games where he normed 10 minutes, 1.75 points and 1.25 rebounds in four games. Lordy Tugade saw the most exposure, playing in eight games, for an average of 10.50 minutes per outing, with averages of 2.13 points, 1.25 rebounds and 0.38 assists.

 

The Tigers finished with a 4-5 record, getting into a three-way tie with the Barako Bull Energy and the Meralco Bolts at the end of the elimination round of the Commissioner's Cup. Due to quotients being applied, the Energy took the fifth seed, while the Tigers lost to the Bolts in an playoff for sixth place, 102-98. Petron on the other hand, was a dismal 3-6, coming off an All-Filipino Cup semifinals berth. — JVP