When it was reported the Oklahoma City Thunder were shopping Serge Ibaka during the NBA Draft, some speculation wondered what type of draft pick they would receive. No one ever expected the type of deal that would come down hours later, as Ibaka was shipped to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall picks.
Ibaka is the centerpiece of the deal obviously, given how much Orlando surrendered to get him. It's a surprising price to pay given Ibaka will enter the last year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent. It seems clear that Orlando will make it a priority to re-sign him, locking up his rim protection to help build around Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja.
Orlando gives up a talented, young guard in Oladipo but they do have Hezonja ready to slide in. The fifth-overall pick in 2015 showed splashes of his potential last season and eventually earned some starts over Oladipo. His loss brought in a big man, which new head coach Frank Vogel has wanted since the day he arrived in Orlando. But it could also be argued that the 26-year-old Ibaka is on the decline. While he still offers the shot-blocking ability, can hit the occasional three and protect the rim, signs have pointed to his game going down and not up.
For Oklahoma City, this trade was a no brainer looking long-term. They gain a tremendous asset in Oladipo as the 24-year-old can pair next to Russell Westbrook and give the Thunder two electric playmakers who will terrify opposing guards with their explosiveness. Oladipo is a bargain at $6.5 million in 2016 with an $8.5 million qualifying offer in 2017. He provides an immediate upgrade at the two-guard for Oklahoma City and adds more incentive for Kevin Durant to remain with the Thunder long-term.
While OKC would seem to miss some of Ibaka's ability to hit threes and bring out the defense, Ilyasova has shown during his career he can provide them exactly like that. While Ilyasova does have some injury concern, his three-point game will provide a useful bench piece for the Thunder. Last, but certainly not least, Sabonis offers a young big who plays the more classic power forward. He offers another low-post presence for the Thunder and will provide quality depth behind Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.