Orlando Magic trade Serge Ibaka to Toronto, sources say

They trail the Wizards by 1.5 games. Their defense flexes from sorta decent to outright embarrassing. His 15.1 points per game ties a career high, and he’s really expanded his repertoire with more effective three-point shooting, shooting a career-best 38.8% from beyond the arc on a career-high 3.8 attempts per game. He should pair nicely with either Patterson or Jonas Valanciunas.

“I think he’s a great addition to any team, especially ours where we add some shot-blocking, some outside shooting, some inside toughness, some athleticism running up and down the floor”, Lowry said of Ibaka. The previous season, * a href=”http://stats.nba.com/players/defensive-impact/%23!?sort=DEF_RIM_FG_PCT&dir=1&CF=DEF_RIM_FGA*GE*6&Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%2520Season” *he was one of the NBA’s premier interior defenders.

Safe to say it’s been a tough last hour for the Cavs.

Toronto is a more risky team with Ibaka on the roster.

The Raptors have always been linked to Ibaka, given their need for a stretch four. These are all good things for a team that’s been on the verge of self-combustion. Love’s injury is a huge blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Regardless, it was worth it. The Magic has struggled and Ibaka wasn’t coming back as a free agent, so the team had to take what it could get.

Woj further reports that general manager Masai Ujiri intends on re-signing Ibaka when he hits free agency this offseason.

Serge Ibaka is headed to Toronto in an unexpected deal. If Ujiri wants to sit on cruise control, he can. On Tuesday, the Raptors made a splash to try and turn their season around. If he could do it for the Magic with less offensive support, no doubt he should be more successful with a cast around him that can score some points as well.

Ibaka was traded to the Magic last offseason after spending his first seven seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ross has two years left on his contract following this season and is set to make $10.5 million in each of those seasons. The Magic could then go into the spring hoping to land one of the top picks in what is thought to be a loaded 2017 National Basketball Association draft, and finally get the franchise’s next foundational star.

The move couldn’t have come at a more urgent time. What’s done is done. He clearly is not in the team’s long term future, and would save the Magic a big chunk of change.

One hopes Hennigan and his crew learn from the mistake they made in trading for Ibaka, chiefly that in a rebuild, it is imperative not to skip steps.

As for the Magic, this deal could be just the beginning. With multiple point guards capable of handling minutes and Dwane Casey’s willingness to play two at a time, plus the continued emergence of Powell, the Raptors probably won’t hurt too much for depth on the wing. For now, the Raptors have finally answered a pertinent question about their starting lineup.