At may lungkot man sa kanilang puso, pinakawalan ng Bert Lina-owned Express team ang kanilang No. 1 pick na si Anthony Washington para ibigay sa Talk N Text sa isang direct barter na ina-asahang magbebenepisyo sa dalawang koponan.
"We got the player we wanted and they (Pals) got theirs," ani Air21 president at team manager Lito Alvarez.
Matagal ng pinangarap ng Express na makakuha ng player na may awtoridad sa slot at napunan nila ito sa pagkuha nila uli kay De Ocampo, kapatid ng kani-lang sophomore forward na si Ranidel. Ipinaliwanag ni Alvarez kung bakit noong nakalipas na tatlong taon, pinayagan nilang makawala si De Ocampo dahil may dalawa silang beteranong sentro sa koponan--sina Jerry Codiñera at Omanzie Rodriguez.
"Times have changed indeed. Prior to signing Yancy, we only have one center in Homer Se, who is recupe-rating from an injury. With Yancy, who has matured immensely with the Phone Pals, our arsenal is complete. Besides, Yancy knows our system very well considering he’s been a part of our team for a year," dagdag ni Alvarez.
"Washington, for all his huge talent, is a natural forward, and we have an abundance of forwards in our team," paliwanag ni Alvarez.
Inihayag ni Alvarez na may magandang plano ang Phone Pals kay De Ocam-po na ipinadala nila sa Big Man’s Training Camp sa Amerika kamakailan.
"But as I’ve said before, I think Yancy will be better off here with Air21, where he will be our top slotman. Washing-ton, on the other hand, could be their top forward. He (Washington) is a very likable young man, and we wish him well," ani Alvarez.