The Toronto Raptors have agreed to re-sign unrestricted free agent power forward Serge Ibaka to a contract worth $65 million over three years. The contract cannot officially be signed until the end of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 6th.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news Sunday morning:
Source: Free agent forward Serge Ibaka has reached deal on three-year, $65M contract to stay with the Toronto… https://t.co/ATpQCWXQ36
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2017
Serge Ibaka Agrees to Three-Contract With Toronto Raptors
Ibaka’s contract will take him through the end of the 2019-20 season. There are no player or team options in the deal, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Last season, Ibaka averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in a year split between the Orlando Magic and the Raptors. He was arguably the Magic’s best player before being traded to Toronto after he made it public that he wouldn’t be re-signing with Orlando during the off-season. Once considered one of the league’s best defenders, Ibaka has morphed himself into a capable scorer and an excellent three-point shooter. He shot 39.1 percent from deep last season. In the new era of analytics and shooting, a mobile, athletic, and skilled shooter like Ibaka could be invaluable to a team wanting to make a title run.
Ibaka will continue to provide rim protection and shooting for Toronto; he is a stabilizing force in the frontcourt. He is capable of switching on pick-and-rolls or hedging before recovering back to the paint. Ibaka will continue to be the primary power forward for the Raptors, provided he stays healthy. If Jonas Valanciunas is traded, Ibaka may shift up a position to center.
Ibaka played the first seven seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft (at the time, they were the Seattle Supersonics). The Thunder traded him to Orlando in the 2016 off-season, but he played just 56 games there before the Magic sent him to Toronto at the 2017 trade deadline.
Check out the LWOS 2017 NBA Free Agency Tracker for all of your NBA free agency coverage, and be sure to follow @LastWordHoops on Twitter to stay up-to-date with all the latest NBA news.
Main Photo:
