Serge Ibaka Reportedly Traded to Magic in Deal Involving Victor Oladipo
Fresh off a dispiriting collapse in the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly traded forward Serge Ibaka.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Ibaka has been dealt to the Orlando Magic. Wojnarowski reported the Magic will trade Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis to the Thunder.
Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated initially reported Ibaka was on the block ahead of Thursday's draft.
Ibaka, 26, averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 2015-16. He's spent his entire seven-year career in Oklahoma City.
Ibaka has seen his blocks per game nearly cut in half over the last five years, peaking at 3.7 per game in 2011-12 before dipping all the way down to 1.9 this past season.
His emergence as a three-point threat away from the rim has helped Oklahoma City's spacing, but it's also eroded his big-man skills. Ibaka's rebound and block rates have never been lower, per Basketball-Reference.com, a yearslong trend that's affected how those around the league view him.
This is not to say Ibaka's an ineffective player. Far from it. Opponents shot 43.6 percent when Ibaka was their primary defender near the rim, tying him for the third-best rate among high-usage big men, according to SportVU data on NBA.com. Players' field-goal percentages inside six feet were 10.2 percent worse than their regular-season rates when Ibaka defended them.
What's more, Ibaka's willingness to take a third-banana role offensively allows Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to thrive. We saw in Kevin Love how difficult it can be for a player with star-like potential to play a tertiary role. Ibaka plays his every night successfully.
Ibaka will make $12.25 million next season, pittance compared to his actual value. He'll also become an unrestricted free agent in 2017, when he'll undoubtedly look to cash in on his actual market price—a number that may approach the NBA's max.
The Thunder already have sixth man Enes Kanter locked up to a big deal, and they'll be seeking to max out Durant and Westbrook the next two summers. With Steven Adams looking like a cornerstone rim protector, Oklahoma City faced the prospect of moving a vital player or paying the luxury tax.
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