It may not be the right time to talk about it right now but player contracts are bound to be the focus of attention in the sporting world. The NBA will have players like Serge Ibaka looking for new deals, some likely to move out and others to stay with their mother teams.
But in the case of the 30-year-old cager, a decision has already been made. He has no plans of bolting the Raptors, regardless of what happens to the 2019-20 NBA season. Coming off an NBA title, it is not hard to see why the 7-foot cager prefers to stay in Toronto.
“I’m gonna stay bro. This place is beautiful,” Ibaka said during an Instagram Live session as reported by Yahoo Sports. “It’s a beautiful city, beautiful people here, and we have one of the best teams, so why leave? Go where?”
Ibaka is in the final year of his $64 million deal that he originally signed in 2017 with the Orlando Magic. He has proven to be a key asset for head coach Nick Nurse, tasked to do the dirty work below the basket. His performance clearly shows in his season averages.
In 50 games, the 24th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft has averaged 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. These are numbers way beyond his career averages of 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per Basketball-Reference.com. Without question, he continued to do well for the Raptors and is enjoying every minute given to him. But do the Raptors feel the same?
Re-signing Ibaka makes sense although it will still depend on several factors. The fact is other players like Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol also have expiring deals. Depending on how Masai Ujiri uses the team budget, it may all boil down to the salary that Ibaka would be asking for. Given that teams will feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, big-time salary deals are likely to be scarce if not none.
It may also depend on whether other teams would try to dangle Ibaka with something better. This is a big possibility especially with the Congolese cager performing well for the Raptors. It remains to be seen if this will sway Ibaka's decision for the next NBA season. But for now, it is all about awaiting the plight of the 2019-20 NBA season and the adjustments forthcoming. The latest on the NBA is that teams will be required to pay the full paychecks on Apr. 15. Beyond that is likely to be subject to coming discussions.
