Milwaukee Bucks veteran big man Serge Ibaka has been away from the team for over two weeks.
On Friday, The Athletic’s insider Shams Charania revealed that the Bucks and Serge Ibaka have mutually agreed to find the veteran Ibaka a new home before the February 9th trade deadline. Reactions to the news that Serge Ibaka will be on the move were somewhat surprising mixed with wondering if Ibaka expected a different role when he re-signed with Milwaukee in the off-season.
It is possible that Serge Ibaka thought Brook Lopez might have a lighter minutes load than he has had after missing nearly the entire 2021-22 regular season with back surgery. That hasn’t been the case as Brook Lopez has been fantastic this season, playing well on both ends of the floor, leaving Ibaka as nothing more than insurance.
With Ibaka on the move in the next three weeks, what teams could potentially look to trade for a 33-year-old power forward on an expiring deal?
Teams that could trade for Milwaukee Bucks’ Serge Ibaka: Los Angeles Clippers
The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Serge Ibaka from the Los Angeles Clippers just last season at the trade deadline. The Bucks nabbed Ibaka to give the Bucks frontcourt depth as Brook Lopez’s future was a bit uncertain. The Clippers could essentially look to do the same, grabbing Ibaka for frontcourt depth, which Shams Charania reported at The Athletic (subscription required), the Clippers are looking for.
The Clippers could use Serge Ibaka to back up Ivica Zubac and Marcus Morris in their frontcourt at the power forward or center positions. At 6-foot-10 and very well-grizzled in the ways of NBA basketball, Ibaka could navigate the post defensively and help space the floor for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in essentially the same way the Milwaukee Bucks use Brook Lopez.
What would the Bucks get back from the Clippers in a deal for Serge Ibaka?
If I were Jon Horst, my first offer to the Los Angeles Clippers would be to send Grayson Allen and Serge Ibaka to the Clippers for Robert Covington. Serge Ibaka gets his trade wish back to a former team, the Bucks find a suitor for Grayson Allen, who they’ve previously shopped, and the Bucks get their switching wing defender, a player they had an interest in previously at that.
If the Clippers wanted to only take Ibaka in a deal, the Bucks could simply ask for draft compensation that they could use in a future deal.