Orlando Magic: Whose team is it anyway?
By S.W. Guest
2017: Serge Ibaka
As mentioned, the trade that saw the Orlando Magic give up Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis for Serge Ibaka on NBA Draft night last offseason made a lot of sense at the time.
Having cleared cap space by giving away Tobias Harris, the Magic were always likely to go after a big fish.
That it was Ibaka came as something of a surprise, though, as the once influential big’s ability to win games through defense appeared to be waning. But in him, Orlando saw a power forward who could stretch the floor and provide some stability alongside the defensively inconsistent Nikola Vucevic.
The trouble is that the gamble was almost entirely reliant on Aaron Gordon ability to play the 3.
Unfortunately, that failed experiment coupled with the fact Rob Hennigan missed on his free agent additions resulted in a gamble that saw the Magic take a huge step back this season. Orlando had to capitulate, trading Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors.
Terrence Ross looks like a far better fit, and the Magic managed to recoup a first rounder from Toronto, which could prove crucial in this year’s talent-heavy draft.