Ginebra has crack at No. 1 pick after Ahanmisi deal
Granting Maverick Ahanmisi’s trade wishes has allowed Barangay Ginebra the opportunity to potentially land a high-value player in the next PBA Rookie Draft in early 2027 after acquiring Terrafirma’s first-round pick in return.
A league source confirmed that Ginebra will get Terrafirma’s pick even if it lands at No. 1, despite a new PBA rule that prohibits the No. 1 overall selection being dealt by the team that takes him for the two seasons.
The loophole in that rule? The Dyip don’t hold the No. 1 selection just yet and won’t know if they will until the end of the current season.
But Ginebra should like its chances.
Terrafirma has selected first in five out of the last seven Rookie Draft stagings, including last month when it took 6-foot-9 Geo Chiu—who won’t be available until he concludes his MPBL stint with Abra.
Ginebra got the first round pick from Terrafirma in exchange for Ahanmisi, who bared in his recent vlog that he asked San Miguel Corp. (SMC) management for a trade, citing his desire for bigger minutes and better opportunity.
Veteran Aljon Mariano was also traded to the Dyip to complete the deal that Ahanmisi was glad to have finally happened.
“That’s what I’ve asked for,” Ahanmisi said after watching Ginebra’s 92-77 win over TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I appreciate [SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua], management and Coach Tim [Cone] [and] no bad blood between us.”
The trade also opens the door for Ahanmisi to join forces with his younger brother Jerrick, who is also in his first season with Terrafirma after being traded from Magnolia in the offseason for Javi Gomez de Liaño.
Their first game together is next Wednesday against Converge at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
A win will further raise expectations that Terrafirma is eager to make the playoffs under new coach Ronald Tubid. The Dyip are at 1-1 after Sunday’s upset of the NLEX Road Warriors.
How Terrafirma performs or underperforms from now till late-2026, the end of the 50th season, will perhaps be put under the microscope since it will affect Ginebra’s chances of choosing first.
And the next Rookie Draft may or may not include some of the big names that have yet to make the jump to the league, including those in the B.League and Korean Basketball League or in the UAAP.
Ginebra improved to 1-1 behind Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Troy Rosario, Norbert Torres and a flu-stricken RJ Abarrientos, but will have little time to rest as it faces Meralco at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Big Dome.
Magnolia goes for a 2-0 record in the 5 p.m. opener against newcomer Titan Ultra, which is smarting from a massive defeat at the hands of Converge over the weekend.
