Raptors re-sign Serge Ibaka on 3-year $65 million deal
The Raptors made their first move of the off-season, as they brought back Serge Ibaka on a three-year contract.
In a rather unsurprising move, the Toronto Raptors pulled out all the stops to re-sign Serge Ibaka, as he is a player they pushed hard to get at the trade deadline. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Ibaka will return to Toronto on a three-year $65 million deal, which is the payday the Spainish international has deserved for some time.
Fit:
Ibaka is a great fit for the Toronto Raptors, as he offers perfect defense at one end, while at the same time not being totally useless offensively. He shot nearly 40 percent from three after his arrival from the Orlando Magic, and he became a reliable stretch four for the team which helped Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
Some of Toronto’s players were understandably down after another disappointing playoff exit. That said, Ibaka played relatively well as he averaged 14 points and 6.5 boards on 46% shooting from the field. Serge Ibaka was a reliable dump off option for the Raptors, and he will be a good fit for the long-term offering a third core offensive contributor alongside DeMar DeRozan, and potentially Kyle Lowry.
Dwane Casey has stated his commitment to expanding the Raptors offence this year and shooting more threes, and Ibaka will be a pivotal part of this. Ibaka is a good stretch four, and it would not be surprising to see Casey continue to experiment with him at the five. Casey is not the most creative coach in the world, but trying Ibaka as a stretch center in small ball lineups could help the Raptors become more unpredictable.
With Ibaka now on board for the next three years, the Raptors will have 48 minutes of solid interior defence which can make up for Jonas Valanciunas’ deficiencies. Masai Ujiri is always thinking about the future, and he now has two solid inside defenders in Serge Ibaka and Jakob Poeltl.
In an era dominated by small ball, Ibaka is the kind of player that makes every team better as he is an elite defender that is not a detriment on the offensive side of the ball. Toronto have hit the jackpot by bringing back the man they worked so hard to get, and he solidifies the Raptors as a playoff team even if Kyle Lowry does opt for a new test. Though at the time of this writing it seems like there are few options for Lowry outside Toronto who are considered contenders . Furthermore, news out of the 6ix is the Raptors brain trust and Lowry are hammering a deal and currently working on the specifics of the new deal.
If Dwane Casey truly is committed to being a more flexible offensive coach, then the Raptors could play some really fun lineups while moving Ibaka round as a sort of chess piece. Ibaka will want touches as that is the main reason he left the Thunder in the first place, but he is the sort of player who can help the development of other players, since he’s not a high usage guy.
Grade: A
