Serge Ibaka: Dealt to Toronto

The Raptors have been in the market for an upgrade at power forward for several
months, and they finally found their man in Ibaka, a player Toronto GM Masai
Ujiri has long admired. With Patrick Patterson (knee) missing the last handful
of games, the Raptors have been rotating in a number of options as their
starting power forward, but Ibaka should hold down a spot on the top unit and
dominate the minutes at the position even once Patterson is healthy again. In
his first season with the Magic, Ibaka averaged of 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds,
1.6 blocks, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.1 assists in 30.5 minutes per game, while
shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three-point range.
The 27-year-old is in the final year of his four-year, $48 million contract, but
it appears the Raptors intend to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent this
summer, according to Wojnarowski. Even if the Raptors aren’t able to retain
Ibaka, his acquisition surely helps the team’s chances of giving the Cavaliers a
bigger challenge if the two teams ends up meeting in the postseason.