Serge Ibaka Expected to Re-Sign With Toronto Raptors
When the Toronto Raptors acquired Serge Ibaka before the trade deadline in February, a lot of people noted that it was very risky because the forward was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But it seemed that they always knew that there was a big chance that he would re-sign with them this offseason.
According to Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler, Ibaka new contract with the Toronto Raptors is "basically done." The deal is believed to start at around $20 million annually.
"Most in NBA circles believe that Ibaka made it clear to the Magic the only team he wanted to land with was Toronto, and it's likely why other teams in the hunt for him passed on giving big assets," Kyler said in his report.
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"League sources said that a new deal for Ibaka is basically done and that it will start in the $20 million range. It's possible someone surfaces on July 1 with a better offer, but given Ibaka's age and rocky season in Orlando, that seems unlikely," he continued.
Well, they did give up a lot to get Ibaka so they shouldn't let him leave after half a season.
The Raptors actually did quite well with Ibaka in their lineup since he's an excellent defender who can also stretch the floor with his outside shooting at the other end of the court. He's very effective as a small-ball center.
Re-signing Ibaka means that the Raptors will no longer have the cap space to go after free agents. That means they will probably have to do a salary dump trade. A number of observers have already pointed out that Jonas Valančiūnas may be moved this summer to free up cap space.
If the Raptors are re-signing Ibaka, it means they are not going to blow up the team and rebuild from scratch. They still have to re-sign Kyle Lowry, though, but expect them to field a competitive team again next season.
