PBA: Fresh from BPC nomination, Calvin Abueva traded to Converge

Calvin Abueva heads to Converge after a stellar one-and-done campaign with Titan Ultra. PBA Images (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Following a career renaissance, Calvin Abueva is looking to sustain his newfound explosiveness with Converge.

The PBA on Tuesday approved a trade sending the energetic forward to the FiberXers from the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.

In return, Titan Ultra, the league's new kid on the block, received Rey Suerte, King Caralipio, and Mark Omega.

One can argue that the trade is a fitting birthday gift for Abueva.

The six-foot-two workhorse, who will turn 38 on Wednesday, recently shared a series of social media posts, which he later deleted, expressing his desire to be traded, apparently out of disappointment.

Anchored by a career-high 41 points in the first game of the recently concluded Philippine Cup, Abueva enjoyed numbers that were probably even better than his younger days at Alaska, coincidentally the franchise absorbed by Converge, where he is heading next, in a 2022 sale.

Abueva averaged a league-leading 23.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game last conference, enough to earn him Best Player of the Conference consideration.

Abueva eventually finished third in the BPC race behind winner June Mar Fajardo and star rookie Juan Gomez De Liano.

However, despite Abueva's monster stats, Titan Ultra missed the playoffs in its first conference as the successor to the NorthPort franchise, finishing in ninth place with a 4-7 record.

Now, he joins Gomez De Liano in a FiberXers side that looks primed already to make at least a semifinal appearance.

Abueva also reunites with longtime mentor Delta Pineda, Converge's head coach.

On the other hand, Suerte, Caralipio, and Omega, who played sparingly last conference, could be getting more playing time with the Giant Risers.