Serge Ibaka picked up his player option with the LA Clippers worth $9.7 million.
This is of course a good move for the LA Clippers, but it’s also very beneficial for both sides.
The Clippers are in a tough spot as far as money goes this offseason, so it’s a good thing that they don’t have to enter a bidding war for the big man too.
No. 3 reason Serge Ibaka made the right decision by opting in with the LA Clippers: Playing time
Serge Ibaka was the starting center in all of the games he played for the LA Clippers until he finally came back from injury for the last two games of the regular season and the postseason.
Nowadays, players like Ibaka don’t always get a ton of minutes. It’s a different game these days.
True centers like Ibaka aren’t as popular among NBA teams as they used to be, but Ibaka knows that he’ll be getting his minutes if he stays on the Clippers.
I understand that Zubac finished the year as the starter. Even if Zubac continues to start, however, Ibaka wouldn’t be far behind him as far as his game goes, and as far as the depth chart checks out.
The Clippers play with small lineups, so they only have so many true big men. With Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins being free agents, the number of big men on the roster might even diminish further.
If Ibaka starts, he’ll get his minutes. If he doesn’t start, he’ll be getting plenty of opportunity behind Zubac. It can be tough for older players to find a championship contender they can get significant playing time on, but Ibaka now has that.