:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55545987/usa_today_10029655.0.jpg)
The report from Woj is in: Serge Ibaka has agreed to a 3-year, $65 million deal with the Raptors. The team’s second most important free agent is all set to return.
Source: Free agent forward Serge Ibaka has reached deal on three-year, $65M contract to stay with the Toronto... https://t.co/ATpQCWXQ36
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2017
While we all figured Ibaka's return would come after Toronto confirmed Kyle Lowry's re-signing, this suggests that a deal with the Raps' top free agent is coming. (Remember: Serge and Kyle have the same agent.) What's noteworthy here of course are the terms of the deal. Somehow Masai Ujiri did not commit to a four or five year deal with Ibaka. He'll get paid around what he's worth (approx. $21-22 mil per year) but the contract will be up at Serge's age-31 season. Nice.
We'll have more to come on this but the other quick takeaways are obvious. The Raptors expect Lowry back, and with the East thinning faster than the top of my head, they expect to compete again.
What do you guys think of the deal?