[SI:The Cauldron - Aug 30, 2016] Serge Ibaka: My crazy summer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [...] When I woke up that Friday, I checked my phone and saw that I had missed calls from my agent, manager and dad. That’s when I knew that the rumors must have been true, and that my time in Oklahoma City had come to an end. I called my manager, who asked me to meet him in the hotel lobby. There he told me that I had been traded to the Magic. I spent most of that day on phone speaking to different people, including Orlando GM Rob Hennigan. He used to work for the Thunder, and I’ve known him for a while. He told me how happy he was to add me to the team, how he trusted me and believed in me. That conversation made me feel good about my new opportunity and the future. I never asked to be traded, even though there was a lot of media conjecture that I was unhappy with my role. I had an exit meeting with Billy Donovan and Sam Presti after the season, and both went well. But this is still a business, everybody has to do what’s best for them, and I let my agent deal with the business side of things. I just focus on basketball. I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to go in and ask for a trade, and I would have been happy staying with the Thunder. Playing in the NBA was my dream, and I’d be happy playing anywhere. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He really is a class act. I always thought he was the PF we needed with Dwight and Harden (not that we'd get in from OKC).
It will be interesting to see how he fits and his value in Orlando. Especially given the Frank Vogel hiring. Seems like the veteran guy with the right attitude to add to that young group of guys, and while Orlando certainly seems to have "lost" the trade, I'm not sure if losing Oladipo hurts them as much as just not getting enough value back. And I like Oladipo, but his skill-set just didn't seem to mesh perfectly there, and Fournier, defense aside, seems up and coming. I can definitely see Ibaka having a VERY strong impact.
Fournier got signed this offseason. 5 year, $85 million. $17 per. Overpaid? Who knows in the new salary league.
On paper Ibaka is a perfect fit for the Magic since Vuc is their center, but i'm not sure how this will turn out for them...he's already declining, he's going to ask a lot of money next summer, and they have no guarantee that he'll stay anyway (as far as we know at least), and there are also those rumors about him wanting more touches etc...eh, we'll see.
IDK about declining, maybe from injuries but he was used differently in OKC last season. I think he will get plenty of touches in ORL in the PNR and as a stretch 4/5.
I really don't know that much about his physical condition, i didn't see him play that much last season to be honest, i only read a lot of OKC fans saying this and i remember a good amount of them being more than ok with the idea of trade him. Where i'm pretty confident though, is about his touches, i mean, he's just not a guy able to create something for himself and his teammates, he should really stick to shooting wide open shots imo. If he's going to demand the ball i'm pretty sure this will not end up well for him and the Magic.
He certainly wasn't as springy as past seasons but I think the rise of Steven Adams and Ibaka's looming contract were the main reasons. Adams will more than likely end up being a more complete player. I agree, he is not a creator and will fail if he demands touches (like Dwight). To clarify, I merely mean Ibaka will have a more featured role in the Magic's offense. He's good at the PNR , has range, and can play center and forward, which a skill set that the Magic lack.
Payton, in theory, should make Ibaka look VERY good. While Payton is a VERY bad shooter, he does have Nash's passing ability and could turn Ibaka into a poor man's Amare.
