It looks like the Orlando Magic have found their trade partner for talented big man Serge Ibaka, who is reportedly headed to the Toronto Raptors.
Adrian Wojnarowski reports Tornoto is trading for Ibaka “with intentions of trying to re-sign him in free agency this summer,” adding “Masai Ujiri had long coveted him.”
Here are the terms of the deal, per Wojnarowski.
“The Raptors will send guard Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round draft pick to the Magic, league sources said. Toronto owns two first-round picks in the draft – including the Clippers’ pick – and will send Orlando the lesser in value of the two choices, league sources said.”
It’s a tremendous trade for both teams, as Toronto has no chance of competing in the Eastern Conference right now. It needs to rebuild and Toronto desperately needed to upgrade in order to compete at the highest level.
Ibaka is a diverse big man who can not only protect the rim and haul in rebounds but who can also step outside and drain big shots in crunch time. This season, he has averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and just over one assist per game. He joins a Raptors team that currently sits at No. 5 in the east with a 32-23 record, which is just 1.5 games outside the No. 3 spot in the conference.