Magnolia signs de Liaño in trade with Terrafirma

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It has been a busy off-season for the revamping Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados.

After acquiring LA Tenorio as its new chief tactician a week ago, the San Miguel Corporation (SMC)-backed franchise inked skipper Javi Gomez de Liaño to a deal confirmed on Aug. 22, 2025.

To materialize the trade, the Chicken Timplados shipped shooting guard Jerrick Ahanmisi and a 2025 PBA second-round pick to de Liaño’s mother franchise, the Terrafirma Dyip.

Following the departure of William Navarro, who is set to play in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), Magnolia expressed its dire need of getting a wing man who can fill his spot when the upcoming PBA conference kicks off later this month.

The Hotshots found their replacement in no time, as de Liaño and Terrafirma smoothened the paperwork when his stint with the KBL squad Anyang Jung Kwan Jang ended after a year.

De Liaño left the PBA a year ago when the KBL franchise acquired him to become their Asian import, where he averaged 8.4 points.

It then became a full circle moment for de Liaño as he found his way back to the PBA and is expected to perform immediately under the new system of Tenorio.

A small forward with size who can slide up to the power forward position, de Liaño was a former eighth overall pick by Ginebra during the 2022 PBA Draft.

However, he was instantly traded to Terrafirma, where he blossomed into an offensive star, averaging 16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in the 2023-2024 PBA season.

De Liaño is fresh off a championship campaign with the Strong Group-Philippines in the 2025 Jones Cup, where they concluded the annual tournament with a perfect record.

The former University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons star will form a retooled Magnolia roster with Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Ian Sangalang, and newly signed guard Paolo Taha.