Toronto Raptors: 5 most interesting trade deadline deals in Raptors history
By Jason Mills
Raptors deadline deal No. 2: Serge Ibaka, 2017
The Raptors would win the 2019 NBA Championship in the fourth year of a five-season run in which they would win 50 or more regular-season games. They would require another 24 games in the postseason to claim the championship for the first time in franchise history.
It took three upgrades to the roster over three seasons to put the team over the hump. The transactions were impressive because the team’s core group and outstanding talent were left intact by the time they faced the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Final.
Everyone will point to the 2018 deal that saw Toronto obtain superstar and 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard that off-season as the main acquisition. Perhaps the most underrated deal was 2017’s near trade deadline deal for Serge Ibaka.
He was acquired in a swap with the Orlando Magic for Terrence Ross and a first-round draft pick. The pick would end up being Anzejs Pasecniks, who has played just 28 NBA games since the 2019 season for Washington.
Serge Ibaka was invaluable for the Toronto Raptors
Ibaka, who early in his career was an athletic big and rim-protecting terror once averaging 3.7 per game, saw that production tail off to 1.4 blocks per game in 99 games with the Raptors between 2017 and 2018.
Still, Ibaka was solid in the 10 playoff games he appeared for Toronto in 2017, averaging 14.3 points a game and 6.5 rebounds. His usefulness to the team dipped in 2018 when in the same number of playoff appearances, he averaged 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Ibaka would rebound in the championship season for the Raptors when he first platooned at the center position with Valanciunas and, ultimately, with his championship teammate Marc Gasol.
Gasol provided the Raptors with defense and sublime passing at the center position, while Ibaka offered the offense and athleticism. It was the perfect blend of skill and athleticism between Ibaka and Gasol. In his best NBA season, Ibaka recorded 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
Ibaka played three and a half years in Toronto before signing as a free-agent this off-season with the Los Angeles Clippers.