Heat Rumors: Serge Ibaka, Miami Have Mutual Interest After Forward Waived by Pacers

Serge Ibaka may be in a Miami Heat uniform the next time he takes the court in an NBA game.

The Indiana Pacers acquired the big man as part of the multi-team trade that sent Jae Crowder to the Milwaukee Bucks but proceeded to waive him after the deal. That opens the door for Ibaka to potentially join a contender, and the Heat could be the team.

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported Ibaka and the Heat have mutual interest as the season approaches the stretch run.

The 33-year-old played 16 games for the Bucks this season but hasn't appeared in a contest since Jan. 1.

Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported on Jan. 20 that he and Milwaukee "mutually agreed" to find a trade after he missed time for "personal reasons," ending his days as part of the Bucks' frontcourt.

While Ibaka wouldn't be a major addition for Miami considering he averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in those 16 games this season and 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, he still has an impressive resume and could provide important depth.

He has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Bucks since he was a first-round pick in 2008 and has an NBA championship, two block titles and three All-Defensive selections on his list of accomplishments.

Ibaka was a double-double threat in his prime and could stretch the floor as a matchup problem for opposing frontcourts. He also has 152 playoff games under his belt and could provide veteran leadership for the Heat for the rest of the campaign.

Miami is 32-25 and in the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. While it is within striking distance at five games behind the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, it is also just 1.5 games ahead of the seventh-seeded New York Knicks and in danger of falling into the play-in tournament.

Ibaka has far more pressure-packed experience than most players available in February and could find himself backing up Bam Adebayo in Miami if the two sides can reach a deal.