When the Orlando Magic acquired Serge Ibaka from a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason, there was hope of a resurgence in the Eastern Conference. But with the Magic having a lackadaisical 2016-2017 season, the Congolese-Spanish baller is reportedly on his way to a new National Basketball Association team.
The Magic currently have a logjam in their frontcourt with Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo sharing minutes. Despite having a young and talented roster, Orlando sits at 14th place in the East. Now, they are making moves before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 23 and it might start with moving Ibaka, Fansided reported.
Ibaka will be hitting free agency this summer and the Orlando Magic wants to trade him to get some assets in return since the defensive specialist might not want to stay in Orlando in the long run. The 6'10" forward is in his final season of a 4-year, $49 million contract. He was traded by the Thunder for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis in June 2016.
Upon hearing the news, the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers have shown interest in the stretch forward, SB Nation's Blazer Edge reported. Teams can use Ibaka's decent shooting from deep after shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc and his shot blocking (1.6 blocks per game).
Ibaka is averaging 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. According to reports, the Orlando Magic is still in standby mode as they are waiting for offers which include young cogs to compensate for trading Sabonis, who has a high upside, and Oladipo, who is one of the most promising guards in the league.
Boston and Toronto, which have expressed their need for a big man, can utilize Ibaka's presence in the paint while the San Antonio Spurs can use him as a partner for LaMarcus Aldridge and build an in-and-out frontcourt duo.
Watch the video below to see The Starters discuss Ibaka's possible trade targets: