Serge Ibaka coming to Raptors next season – or not
By Brian Boake
Serge Ibaka, a talented PF now in Orlando, may be the object of Raptors’ affection when he’s on the free agent market next July.
Toronto Star beat reporter Doug Smith has been covering the Raptors for some time, and isn’t given to speculative nonsense. So when he writes about Serge Ibaka being on the Raptors radar for the 2017-18 season, we need to pay attention.
Ibaka was recently traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Orlando Magic. This was a head-scratcher of a move, particularly from Orlando’s perspective. Why they felt they needed another big man, when Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo (I suspect Ibaka’s arrival makes the Magic the only team with two Congolese on the roster) were already on board, is quite beyond me. The critical player going to OKC was Victor Oladipo, who looked like he was ready for a breakout season, but now will have it on the plains.
Be that as it may, we’re Raptors people, so let’s carry on. Ibaka is a rara avis, a top-drawer shot-blocker and rebounder who can also contribute to the offense. He averaged more than one 3-pointer a game in the ’14-15 season, and has been a double-digit scorer for four straight seasons.
He led the NBA in blocked shots four seasons in a row. This guy is for real.
Ibaka is a free agent after this season, when he’ll be looking for a raise from the $12.25 million he’s currently earning. Assuming he has another typical year by his standards, a raise he will get as the salary cap balloons once again, this time to about $102 million. If the Magic were comfortable paying Biz $18M a season, they certainly will be prepared to offer more to a player with many times the offensive capability of our former backup.
The Raptors have two power forwards’ salaries coming off the books after this season. Both Patrick Patterson and Jared Sullinger are free agents, and presumably will want lots more money to remain in Toronto. Unless either man plays out of his mind this season, their individual production won’t match Ibaka’s; their totals might come close, which is when matters get interesting.
I’m a bit of a coward – I take safety in numbers, meaning I’d rather have two players who cost the same and produce the same as Ibaka. Why? Because an injury to Ibaka can derail the entire season, but an injury to either Patterson or Sullinger is not as damaging.
There’s a wild card in the deck too, another African by the name of Pascal Siakam. What if he enjoys a boffo rookie season and pushes his way into the power forward mix? Talk about a pleasant problem…
Let’s sum up. Serge Ibaka should definitely be on GM Masai Ujiri’s shopping list when the free agent madness commences next summer. But he will be 28 when the ’17-18 season tips off, which is older than any of our men, and his production declined last season. Should his numbers this year look similar to ’15-16, Masai should be wary. Assuming our current group of 4-men enjoys solid play, I’d be just as happy to bring them all back.