Al-Hussaini shipped to NLEX after three-team swap

The transfer, which was made official through the PBA website, has the six-foot-seven center joining the Road Warriors from the Bolts. (Photo: NLEX Road Warriors/ facebook)

MANILA–Rabeh Al-Hussaini is set for a reunion project with Coach Yeng Guiao as he heads to NLEX after a three-club trade with Meralco and Blackwater was approved by Commissioner Chito Narvasa on Monday.

The transfer, which was made official through the PBA website, has the six-foot-seven center joining the Road Warriors from the Bolts.

With sister squads barred from making direct trades, they took the Elite as the conduit with them giving up their 2018 second round pick to the Bolts while retaking their 2017 second rounder from the Road Warriors.

Guiao, then coaching the original Air21 franchise that was eventually sold to Phoenix, got Al-Hussaini as the second overall pick of the 2010 draft.

Their team-up, however, was cut short when Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao, and Rey Guevarra, the first three picks of the said draft, were shipped to San Miguel, formerly Petron, via a mid-season trade, and Al-Hussaini’s numbers dipped drastically since then.

Now, NLEX got another center to shore up its frontline alongside import Wayne Chism and locals Asi Taulava, Raul Soyud, and Bradwyn Guinto, who is part of the Gilas pool for the SEABA Championship.