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Veteran tall man Serge Ibaka has agreed to join the Los Angeles Clippers, Shams Charania by Stadium and The Athletic reported Saturday night.
The terms of the agreement were not immediately available.
Ibaka had a bit of a rebirth a season ago as the Toronto Raptors won an NBA championship. He averages 15.0 points and 8.1 rebounds while pulling 52.9 percent from the ground.
Head coach Nick Nurse has diminished his role in the playoffs a bit, when teams often rely on smaller rosters. Ibaka remained effective, however. He averaged 16.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference, in the team’s title race.
Many believed the Raptors would take a step back in 2020-21 after losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Instead, they finished with the second best record (53-19) in the Eastern Conference.
Ibaka’s performance was one of the reasons the reigning champions didn’t suffer a hangover in their new offering. He averages 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds. He also knocked down 38.5% of his shots from beyond the arc.
Considering how well he performed during his brief stint north of the border, the Raptors would likely have re-signed Ibaka to their Perfect World. They may have entered the offseason with a hard cap on how much they would be willing to pay him, however.
President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has the opportunity to significantly reshape the roster in the years to come.
Here is the list of players the Raptors have under contract for the 2021-22 season:
- Pascal Siakam
- Norman Powell (player option)
- Hernandez Council
- Matt thomas
OG Anunoby and Terence Davis are also restricted free agents.
If Ujiri wants to sue a prominent free agent in 2021 – Giannis Antetokounmpo for example – he will have the salary cap space to do so. Especially with the franchise having won a championship to reduce the need to win now, maintaining a level of financial flexibility going forward could be Ujiri’s top priority.
Toronto will have to start again next offseason, when Kyle Lowry is an unrestricted free agent. As much as Lowry meant to the franchise, Ujiri could leave the feeling out of surrounding Siakam with as strong a supporting cast as possible.
The loss of the Raptors is the gain of the Clippers.
Ibaka’s skills make him the perfect center for today’s NBA. He can space the ground and score inside on attack. On defense, he kept opposing shooters 51.5 percent within six feet, according to NBA.com.
Crosses aren’t usually as valued today as they were in previous generations, but a 7ft yardstick that can protect the rim and stretch the ground is a precious commodity nonetheless.
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