NLEX gears up for the 2015 draft – deals Joseph Yeo to Ginebra, swaps picks with SMB

After initially planning to become the third expansion team this upcoming PBA season, the NLEX Road Warriors instead took over the Air21 Express franchise, with the thought process being that it’d be a faster way to field a competitive team.

Obviously, it’s still too early to judge whether or not they’ll be more successful than KIA or Blackwater, but the team is making moves, especially when it comes to next season’s draft.

A report on the PBA website states that the team dealt away combo guard Joseph Yeo to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for their 2015 first round pick. NLEX then also got San Miguel Beer to give them their 2015 first rounder too, in exchange for NLEX’s 2016 first round choice.

The two transactions have been approved by the Commissioner’s Office, the report added.

Getting Yeo gives Ginebra another scorer, and someone who can handle the ball in a pinch (Yeo played point at times for Air21 last season), but it’s hard to see him getting a ton of playing time. I mean, check out their rotation at the guard spots:

PG: LA Tenorio / Josh Urbiztondo / Jayjay Helterbrand / Eman Monfort
SG: Mark Caguioa / Chris Ellis / James Forrester

Heck Dylan Ababou can play some SG as well. You’re seriously trading a first rounder for someone who will play 10 minutes at most if everyone is healthy?

Meanwhile, the pick swap between SMB and NLEX boils down to this: which draft class will be better, 2015 or 2016?

NLEX stockpiling 2015 picks also might be a canny move if the report that the Gilas cadets will opt not to join this year’s draft comes true.

Sure, Blackwater and KIA might get the first two picks next year by virtue of their limited rosters, but NLEX could bring in a better overall haul.

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