Serge Ibaka will stay north of the border. Ibaka and the Toronto Raptors agreed to terms that will keep the sharpshooting power forward with the team that acquired him via a trade this past February, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Source: Free agent forward Serge Ibaka has reached deal on three-year, $65M contract to stay with the Toronto… https://t.co/ATpQCWXQ36
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2017
Ibaka is a three-time All-Defensive team selection who makes this free agent decision at the age of 27. The eight-year NBA veteran averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game during the 2016-2017 season, which he began with the Orlando Magic before being traded to the Raptors prior to the trade deadline.
Toronto was an interesting team to watch this offseason, as three players who contributed last year — Ibaka, P.J. Tucker, and Kyle Lowry — all hit free agency. Tucker agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets late on Saturday night, while Lowry’s future is still up in the air. Basically, it’s been a quiet offseason in Toronto, making Ibaka the first domino to fall for a team that looks like it could be on the verge of running it back next season.
In addition to the Raptors re-signing a pretty good player, this deal is a fun little footnote on this year’s free agency cycle, as pointed out by Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.
2017 NBA Free Agency has hit the $1 Billion mark in terms of total new contract agreements in the first 36 hours since midnight July 1.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 2, 2017
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