Chris Banchero is now the latest to join the PBA free agency craze.
Multiple sources have told Tiebreaker Times that the Fil-Italian guard is leaving Phoenix Super LPG to sign a three-year max deal with Meralco.
This was confirmed by the Bolts.
“We’re happy to have Chris join us,” said Meralco head coach Norman Black. “His experience and talent are evident, now the next step is to have him adjusted as quickly as possible.
“We look forward to having Chris join our next practice.”
With this, the 32-year-old is arguably the biggest name from the 2014 draft class to enjoy the league’s new rule on unrestricted free agents.
He practically takes the spot of batchmate Nards Pinto, who left the Bolts for a three-year deal with rival team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
The former fifth overall pick by Alaska adds to a seasoned backcourt that has Chris Newsome, Allein Maliksi, Aaron Black, and Anjo Caram.
This will now be his fourth PBA team. Aside from the Aces and the Fuel Masters, the veteran floor general also played for Magnolia for a while.
He became a Hotshot in 2019 after being traded by the Uytengsu franchise in exchange for fellow 2014 draftee Rodney Brondial and Robbie Herndon.
That stay, though, would only last until February 2021. The SMC ball club sent him and two 2021 draft picks to Phoenix for Calvin Abueva and a pick.
Banchero played for a total of 14 games as a Fuel Master.
He averaged 9.1 points, 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in nine outings in the 2021 Philippine Cup, where his side missed the quarterfinals.
The former ABL star then put up 18.0 points on 55.4-percent shooting, 4.4 dimes, 3.6 boards, and 2.4 swipes in five games in the Governors’ Cup.
Banchero has become the fourth player from the 2014 batch to maximize the new UFA after Brondial, Pinto, and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.
