Marcio Lassiter

MANILA, Philippines — Already one of the powerhouse teams in the PBA, Petron Blaze will become more formidable once it gets Powerade rookie star Marcio Lassiter.

From the looks of it, the Boosters are almost certain of securing Lassiter’s services unless the Commissioner’s Office thumbs it down.

Reliable sources, however, confirmed yesterday that the Boosters and the Tigers have consummated the trade last Friday with Lassiter joining the already talented roster of Petron in exchange for sophomores Noy Baclao and Rey Guevara from Powerade.

The trade proposal, according to a person who has knowledge with the talks, has already been forwarded to Commissioner, Atty. Angelico “Chito” Salud for approval.

Salud is currently in Japan for a business trip and will return by Thursday.

The decision to ship the 6-foot-2 Lassiter to Petron only add woes to the team following reports that top officials of The Coca-Cola Company based in Atlanta is reselling the franchise to the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) last week.

Powerade is a brand of Coca-Cola.

The Bulletin tried to get the reaction of JB Baylon, Powerade’s representative to the PBA Board of Governors, but a text message wasn’t answered as of press time. Baylon already denied last week that they are going to re-sell the franchise to San Miguel.

Powerade guard Gary David was incensed with the rumors, prompting him to react in his Twitter: “This is unfair. No idea what’s happening with the team!!!”

Lassiter was tabbed No. 4 overall by the Tigers in last year’s PBA Rookie Draft following a solid stint with the Smart-Gilas Pilipinas.