In trading Serge Ibaka to the Raptors, the Magic didn’t just get assets (Terrence Ross and a first-round pick) for a player who seemed increasingly likely to leave in unrestricted free agency this summer.
Orlando apparently also got rid of a headache.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
It was a little obvious Ibaka did not bond with his Magic teammates but hearing guys had real issues with him and happy to see the change.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 16, 2017
Going from the winning Thunder to the lowly Magic probably didn’t bring out the best in Ibaka, and thats understandable, though not entirely excusable.
I also wonder how much of this was situational rather than anything Ibaka actively did wrong.
His presence forced Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green from their ideal position of power forward to small forward. That narrowed Mario Hezonja’s path the the court. Any minutes Ibaka received at center cut into Bismack Biyombo’s and Nikola Vucevic’s playing time.
Both elements probably worked in concert. Ibaka disrupted the play of several teammates just by being there, which likely led to them giving him less benefit of the doubt about his attitude.
Don’t absolve Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, though. He built a roster overloaded with bigs. He asked for leadership from a newcomer who was third banana at best on his previous team and is entering a contract year. It’s not a huge shock this dynamic soured on and off the court.
