SAN Miguel finally broke up its so-called 'Death 5.'
On Monday, the Beermen dealt former MVP Arwind Santos to NorthPort for the services of newly-acquired forward Vic Manuel.
The PBA trade committee already approved the one-on-one deal.
Arwind Santos has a new team after over a decade with San Miguel.
Rumors that Manuel was bound for a team in the SMC bloc have spread since the hulking forward was acquired by NorthPort in a trade last week, but San Miguel was considered the least likely of the three SMC teams to be his destination.
What came as a total surprise was Santos being dealt by the Beermen, since he was a huge part of the SMC flagship franchise’s success since coming on board in 2009, winning nine championships with the team including five straight Philippine Cup titles from 2015 to 2019.
It was also during his stay with the Beermen that he ran away with the MVP plum in 2013, the last player to win the individual award before teammate June Mar Fajardo began his string of six MVP titles.
Santos also won two Finals MVP with the Beermen in 2011 when they frustrated the grand slam bid of Talk N Text by winning the deciding Game 7 of the Governors Cup title series, and in the 2015 Philippine Cup when his clutch three-pointer late in Game 7 clinched the title for the team.
[See From Petronovela to Beeracle, the highs and lows of Arwind's career at SMB]
Meanwhile, the development also meant Manuel won’t be coming back to wear the jersey of the same franchise that drafted him in the first round almost a decade ago.
Hardly had the 34-year-old veteran forward warmed up his seat with the Batang Pier when he found himself on the move yet again.
It was the third time Manuel was traded this season that saw him jump ship from Alaska to Phoenix prior to the start of the 46th season, and then just over the weekend, when he was sent by the Fuel Masters together with Michael Calisaan to the Batang Pier for Sean Anthony, Sean Manganti, and a 2021 second-round pick.
[See Shock and dismay as SMB breaks up 'Death Five']
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