It really shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the Orlando Magic traded Serge Ibaka for pennies on the dollar. He simply didn’t fit in with the team after being acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder during the summer.
Now comes this report suggesting that certain unnamed Magic players are happy to see Ibaka now playing up north with the Toronto Raptors.
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
Coming from a contender in OKC that was one win away from the NBA Finals last season had to be a bitter pill to swallow for Ibaka. That’s only magnified by Orlando’s current position as a rebuilding team.
And according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, that’s what likely played a role in Ibaka’s unhappiness with Orlando.
Heard that Serge really struggled with how Magic young guys wanted to play & he just never bought in belief is he'll fit better with Raptors
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 16, 2017
Now on a contending team, this will likely change. Toronto has an opportunity to go deep in the playoffs, especially after adding the veteran big man.