Lakers Rumors: Serge Ibaka Expected to Be Pursued by LA in 2020 NBA Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers will reportedly target Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka in free agency this offseason, per Sean Deveney of Heavy. 

An NBA general manager told Deveney that Ibaka "is exactly the kind of combo big guy that team needs." 

He continued:

"They have had interest in him before and they will again. When he is healthy he is an excellent spot starter at the 5 (center) and the 4 (power forward). He is as good a bench big guy as there is in the league. He was a really credible 3-point threat last year. If he is willing to accept what the Lakers can afford to give him, I know they would want him."

Ibaka, 31, would make a lot of sense for the Lakers since he's capable of playing both the 4 and 5. He provides two main skill sets the Lakers need: He can protect the rim (his 0.8 blocks per game this past season were a career low, and he has averaged 2.1 blocks per game for his career), and he can stretch the floor (38.5 percent from three this season) around LeBron James. 

James thrives in space, where he can attack the rim and kick out to open shooters. While players like Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee offered solid defense, rebounding and rim protection this past season, they were non-factors offensively for the most part. Howard's 7.5 points per game were easily a career low. Ibaka, meanwhile, averaged 15.4 points per game for Toronto. 

He'd see fewer shots in Los Angeles behind James and Anthony Davis, but he would give the Lakers another fascinating two-way option. 

The issue for the Lakers is that other contenders will likely see the benefits Ibaka offers, as well. The Lakers don't have a ton of salary-cap wiggle room and could thus be priced out of the Ibaka sweepstakes. 

As Deveney wrote, "The Lakers will have their mid-level exception, worth $9.8 million, available this offseason, but the team would likely want to split that among multiple players rather than hand the whole thing to one guy. They also have a $4 million bi-annual exception available."

Deveney noted that the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers are expected to have interest in Ibaka, as well. That could drive up his cost, in other words, which means the Lakers would have to make some creative roster moves to free up the necessary cap space. 

He'd be a great fit on the court. He just might not fit on the cap sheet.