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Toronto Raptors: Playing buy or sell with 2017 free agents

By Tevin Williams

Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) talks with forward Serge Ibaka (9) after beating Milwaukee Bucks 106-100 in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) talks with forward Serge Ibaka (9) after beating Milwaukee Bucks 106-100 in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 5, 2017; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) dribbles the ball as Detroit Pistons guard Ish Smith (14) defendsduring the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2017; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) dribbles the ball as Detroit Pistons guard Ish Smith (14) defendsduring the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Serge Ibaka

Serge Ibaka was a smart experiment for the Raptors, but some experiments just don’t work out. Ibaka appeared to be the perfect piece to counter Kevin Love in Cleveland. Unfortunately for Toronto, slowing down Love wasn’t nearly enough to even compete with Cleveland.

Without Lowry, re-signing Ibaka makes little sense. The Raptors are already a terrible passing team, as they finished last in the NBA in assists per game last season. Ibaka is a decent shooter for a big man, but he can’t create his own shot in the post.

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Also, Ibaka isn’t the elite rim protector that he once was. He averaged 1.4 blocks per game with Toronto last season, a far cry from his 3.0 blocks per game from a few years ago. Despite being only 27, Ibaka seems to have peaked, and he wont be worth the $20 million-plus salary that he may command.

Also, having Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas in the starting lineup hasn’t worked for the Raptors. In the 440 minutes that Ibaka and Valanciunas shared the floor together, the Raptors were outscored by 1.8 points per 100 possessions. With the NBA leaning more toward small ball lineups, Toronto’s twin towers struggled to positively impact their team.

Toronto has to let go of either Ibaka or Valanciunas, because they don’t fit well in the starting lineup and both are too expensive to come off of the bench. Since the acquisition of Ibaka didn’t make the Raptors a better team, they shouldn’t have a misstep without him.

Verdict: Let Ibaka walk

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