LA Clippers: 3 Pitches to Seal the Deal on Serge Ibaka

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 05: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors fight for a rebound during the second quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at the Field House at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 05, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

LA Clippers Pitch #2 to Serge Ibaka: The Role

What the LA Clippers can offer Serge Ibaka that may separate them the most from the other teams courting him is the role he would play.

After the departure of Trezz and JaMychal, the backup bigs situation is pretty thin. Morris and Zubac will hold down the starting spots, but the backups currently project to be Patrick Patterson and either Joakim Noah or Mfiondu Kabengele.

That’s not exactly extreme depth. The Clippers could sell Serge on being the number one bench big. While he’ll typically play center, he has the skills to play the backup 4 as well, giving Morris a break. He’d basically be playing the same role as JaMychal Green did, just in more minutes.

And that could be very attractive to Serge. There’s a clear pathway for him to get 25-30 minutes a game, playing an important role on a championship contending team.

This is another case where the role he plays on the Raptors would be similar to the one he’d play as a Clipper, but the Clippers give him a better shot at a title. Assuming no moves are made, if he went to Brooklyn he would be splitting those backup center minutes with Jarrett Allen, and probably playing fewer minutes overall.

The LA Clippers can potentially leverage that to make their offer to Serge Ibaka more attractive. Especially when you combine the first two points, we can give him a bigger role and more money, and he’ll still be on a team with title aspirations. Whether he values financial security or playing time, if he wants to be on one of the top teams in the league, the Clippers are that spot.

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