All good things must come to an end.
For Ginebra San Miguel, it meant parting with two pillars that helped secure two championships in the last three years.
On Saturday, the Gin Kings traded 2020 PBA Best Player of the Conference Stanley Pringle and 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP Christian Standhardinger – a day before the 2024 PBA Rookie Draft.
According to Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, it was a tough decision but a necessary one to make.
“On our part, we felt we needed to get younger, and Christian had told us a conference ago that he would prefer to play in a different system and under a different coach,” Cone said after Ginebra’s semifinals finish in the Philippine Cup.
“No doubt, he loved his teammates and playing for the Ginebra fans, but he felt it was better to move on.”
Standhardinger just turned 35, and Pringle is already 37 – both hitting the twilight of their stellar careers.
In exchange, Ginebra acquired 28-year-old Isaac Go, 32-year-old Stephen Holt, and the third overall pick in tomorrow’s draft.
Despite the trade, Cone remains forever grateful to Pringle and Standhardinger.
The team acquired Pringle in June 2019 from Northport in a 3-for-1 trade involving Jervy Cruz, Sol Mercado, and Kevin Ferrer.
Two years later, Standhardinger swapped places with Greg Slaughter.
(C) PBA Images
“Let me just say, it was tough to move on from Christian and Stanley, who were absolute studs for us over the past few years. Stanley was absolutely dominating when we first acquired him, and Christian was the best player in the league next to June Mar (Fajardo) over the past couple of years,” Cone said.
With Go and Holt, it’s a new era for the most popular team in the league.
Unlike Standhardinger, Go is a stretch big man who can score in the paint and stretch the floor. Holt, a veteran of the game, can do almost anything on the court.
“We have contemplated various deals before finally settling on acquiring Stephen Holt and Isaac Go and the chance to move up in what we see as a strong draft,” Cone added.
“We will miss Christian and Stanley and always appreciate the championships we won together. We wish them the best as they continue their careers.”
