Serge Ibaka should be Warriors next free agency target

The Golden State Warriors have lost Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, and Nemanja Bjelica in free agency. The three have respectively agreed to a new deal with the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Turkish basketball side Fenerbahce.

While the Warriors did ink Kevon Looney to a new deal, replacing those three will be easier said than done. The Warriors did their best to replace Payton II with the signing of former Bucks champion Donte DiVincenzo.

The Golden State Warriors need to replace depth in their frontcourt and former star forward Serge Ibaka may be the quintessential addition.

The hope to replace Porter Jr. and Bjelica can be a two-fold approach. A player like forward Jonathan Kuminga or center James Wiseman should be expected to step up and fill part of that vacant role.

However, adding a veteran would also be ideal as Kuminga will enter his second season and Wiseman his third. Also, Wiseman doesn’t offer the court spacing that both Bjelica and Porter Jr. did.

The one player that comes to mind is Serge Ibaka, who is a free agent after spending this past season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ibaka played just 19 games with the Bucks. He played 54 games between both the Bucks and Clippers last season.

Ibaka has transcended his game with how the NBA has progressed over the last decade.

Having led the league in blocks per game twice in his first five seasons, Ibaka is now a floor-spacing big man as well. He’s shooting 36% from deep in his career and has averaged over a three per 36 minutes in 6 of his last 8 seasons in the league.

The ability to space the court coupled with what he could bring the Warriors defensively make Ibaka the perfect addition for the Warriors. He’s also an NBA Champion, having taken down the Warriors as a part of the Raptors in 2019.

The experience is a plus, but it’s really the fact that the Warriors lost two players both able to rebound and space the court. They won’t get that with Looney or Wiseman, and it’s something a player like Ibaka can provide.

Ibaka hasn’t played on the veteran’s minimum yet in his career, so chances are he may be out of the Warriors’ price range. However, he did average just 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, so he’s not quite as productive as earlier in his career.

32, Ibaka is an ideal target for a Golden State team that should value what he offers.