Trades in the NBA and PBA

So many things are happening in the NBA during the All-Star break.

The NBA trade deadline is just a few days away and after DeMarcus Cousins and Serge Ibaka were traded, more big names could find themselves playing for new teams once the smoke clears.

Names like Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Paul George have been mentioned as possible trade bait.

The Los Angeles Lakers just hired their legendary point guard Magic Johnson to become their president of basketball operations, virtually overhauling their front office.

This is where the NBA trades are totally different from what happens in the PBA. During my experiences as a sportswriter for a tabloid back in Manila, I was a witness to so many trades in the PBA where lopsided deals and farm teams were the norm.

And unlike in the NBA where teams can trade players anytime, in the PBA this is totally different.

It is no secret that two corporations run the PBA -- the MVP and SMC groups -- so much so that sister teams cannot trade players directly. This is why the PBA had farm teams like Barako Bull and Air21 that served as conduit teams to complete those trades.

In addition, SMC teams don't trade players to MVP teams -- an indication of business rivalry and personal interests.

PBA direct trades usually involve the smaller teams like Phoenix, Globalport, Alaska, Rain or Shine, Blackwater and Mahindra -- all of which don't have the financial muscle of the giant ballclubs.

And since the PBA has three conferences in a season, it has three different trade deadlines, which all take place before the start of the quarterfinals.

The NBA's trade deadline, on the other hand, happens on the last Thursday of February as the 30 teams make a late push for the playoffs.