In the first-ever PBA trade involving two draft picks who were selected during the 2017 special Gilas draft, the San Miguel Beermen traded 25-year-old Arnold Van Opstal to the Globalport Batang Pier for 24-year-old Von Pessumal. The transaction was confirmed by the PBA on Monday morning.
Van Opstal, who stands at 6-foot-9, played little minutes for the reigning Philippine and Commissioner’s Cup champions. During the elimination round of both conferences, the Filipino-German played a total of just 20.7 minutes, scoring a total of 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Van Opstal has been cut from the Gilas program, according to multiple officials from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Pessumal, on the other hand, is a sniper from downtown, shooting 39.1 percent from downtown during his first two conferences in the big league. He averaged 5.5 points in 15.2 minutes of action during his brief stint with Globalport.
The Gilas cadets entered the PBA with a bond to their mother team, as they cannot be traded for two seasons. However, in this case, the league is apparently allowing transactions between cadets.
