JULY 19: Ibaka’s deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
JULY 4: Free agent big man Serge Ibaka has agreed to re-sign with the Bucks on a one-year contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Ibaka, 32, was traded from the Clippers to the Bucks at the 2022 trade deadline and appeared in 19 regular season games for Milwaukee down the stretch, averaging 7.0 PPG and 5.3 RPG with a .519/.351/.800 shooting line in 17.8 MPG. He wasn’t part of the team’s playoff rotation.
Ibaka is a three-time All-Defensive player who led the NBA in blocks per game in 2012 and 2013 and was a key member of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team.
However, back issues have slowed him down to some extent in recent years — he underwent surgery in 2021 and didn’t look like his old self upon returning.
While terms of Ibaka’s new deal aren’t yet known, it appears the Bucks are confident in his ability to be a useful depth piece in the frontcourt now that he’s another year removed from that procedure on his back.
Ibaka is the fifth free agent to agree to terms with the Bucks in the last few days, joining Bobby Portis, Joe Ingles, Jevon Carter, and Wesley Matthews. Milwaukee also has eight players on existing guaranteed contracts, with first-rounder MarJon Beauchamp set to join that group.
I’m concerned about the lack of speed and athleticism on this team. Need to get a bit younger, too.
Not much they can do anymore I’m afraid. I didn’t really think they’d bring Ibaka back, and I hoped they’d have moved on from Matthews as well but I guess they’re trying to compete with Lakers for most Medicare recipients on the payroll.
Cousins > Ibaka
Do you think Cousins would come back after how his stint ended last season?
No…he’s REALLY not. Ibaka is a better shooter, MUCH better defender…Ibaka was recovering from a back injury last year…so MAYBE he’s just a solid player and doesn’t regain his form from 2 years ago. If he does, this is an absolute steal.
EITHER WAY, he’s CLEARLY better than Cousins. He’s a rim protector and he’s more than capable of hitting the 3. Neither are going to have high usage rates, so it comes down to who fits better. There just is not a question there.
If Ibaka’s really back and healthy, the Bucks best defensive lineup may well be Carter/Jrue/Middleton/Giannis/Ibaka and they can switch 1-5. Not that Serge is locking down Kyrie or anything, but he’s far better than Brook, Portis and worlds better than Cousins.
Cousins puts up more points on more shots. That’s it at this point(and he’s a bigger name).
That’s certainly what the Bucks are thinking. Regular season depth and playoff rotation. Only thing left to do is trade Grayson & far future draft picks for a better vet off guard.
Allen, as much as I dislike him is a competent veteran off-guard.
Can be effective in very limited spurts, but that might even be a rosy characterization at this stage. Had a good career, but is basically a change of pace running back now
I don’t know. I think that’s the worst case. I think the best case is that he’s more than capable of coming in, being a ~38 pct 3 point shooter and a year removed from the back surgery, get back to where he was 2 years ago…which is an elite defensive backup big …who, again, can shoot.
A more mobile Bobby Portis defensively. Again, that’s if, as reported(and I’d guess the Bucks feel confident in this assessment) that he’s healthy and the physical’s look good.
Big man depth. Ibaka can only help. Especially if you have injuries during season. You need depth on a contender.
They have Lopez, Portis and the kid Mamu(bunchofrandomletters). And Mamu should get more minutes, not be buried behind an aging and limited Ibaka.
Mamu is more of a power forward. Not in the traditional sense, but he is a helluva passer and 3 point shooter. A great draft pick who will complement Giannis very nicely. Of course I am a Seton Hall Pirate fan as well as a buck fan, so I am a bit biased.
Mamu should be called Sandro, to match Giannis.
Sandro can be a 5 if next to Giannis.
M’vili can be a 5 if next to An’po.
SaMa can be a 4 if next to BrLo.
Sandman could be a 5 if next to Wideye.
GeorgiaFlorida can be a 4 if next to OlderinCongo. That’s the other Georgia, and there’s no system of birth recording in Africa.
Doesn’t hurt to have some depth at center. Ibaka did look good before Lopez returned but was definitely not as agile after surgery. Hopefully with an offseason under his belt he can regain his old form and be a solid producer off the bench.
Exactly. For a minimum salary, there’s only upside there.
I can’t believe people would rather see Mamu over Ibaka. I am leading the charge on developing young players, but he’s not ready now and he’s on a 2-way. He can play in the G league and come up when/if we have injury issues.
The Bucks do NOT want to play Giannis at the 5 in the regular season. It’s too physically taxing on a player who already doesn’t know how to pace himself(in the best way possible).
10-15 minutes a game…you can also reduce Lopez’ minutes to ~25 or so. Give Portis 25. And then Giannis will play SOME minutes at the 5 with Ingles/Middleton/Beauchamp/Nwora or some combination therein(provided Nwora signs the tender and Ingles ACL recovery is going as good as it sounds).
It’s not just depth, it’s good depth.
Sandro did look pretty impressive in Summer league. He looked more explosive, quicker. He was getting doing a better job of co testing at the rim and…just looked better than just last year.
But he’s still on a 2-way and I’m interested to see what Serge can give you when healthy.
If he gets a little more mobility back, he could play a big role and just offer a different look. I do think you’d have to play drop with him as much…again, IF he looks more like the ’20-’21 version of himself.
You think he is limited. Ok
He is a solid big still. Who wants to win. Bucks are lucky to have him. Different than Lopez or Portis. It’s why he is valuable to Bucks. A contender can never have enough depth. Last yr should have taught you that.
Bucks healthy are still team to beat in East imo. They will be hungry next yr. The East is much tougher and better now.
Maybe Ibaka will bounce back. Lets hope so.
He won’t!!!
Really? And why is that? Why can the 32 year old who had back surgery and was working through it last year(while STILL being a very solid rotation piece) not bounce back?
One of the best defensive stretch 4’s in the NBA…had back surgery, he was still dealing with it last year and at 32, it’s impossible he’ll bounce back and play better?
He’s probably older, PER 14 is low for a center, and he plays a solo style at least in Toronto.
But yes good to have depth.
Looking forward to his re-Serge-ence as a good back up.
If he can hit 37% of his 3s and just play good D…that’d be huge.
Keep everyone fresh. And…IF you get a big jump from Mamu, is it possible they package Lopez and his expiring, maybe Grayson Hill for a guy like Hield?
Or a DeAndre Hunter? That’d be unlikely…ATL doesn’t seem all that high on him and I love his game.
Miles Bridges would have been another target…but he kinda went and blew it all up.
Just thinking about a big wing who can shoot.
I’d even like Cam Redish(not for Lopez obviously).
I’m also guessing they’re not thinking about trading Brook though.
I would’ve preferred a young developmental big but Ibaka can be effective in limited minutes and can be used as trade filler at the trade deadline. Seems like Horst is content running it back and hoping for better health. They will have plenty of contracts for matching purposes if they decide to make any in season moves
any other players out there thats had back surgery the bucks can pick up? mpj.
If they did, I’d be all for it.
But so far as I know, this is the only one they picked up and he signed for the minimum despite just being a VERY good defender and stretch 4 only 2 years ago.
Bucks did not do a whole lot to change their team. Understandable but while others improve around you a questionable strategy.
Maybe they saw something about Ibaka in practice that there was not time to bring out last season. I’m also hoping that Carter takes a bit of a leap this year so that he is trusted more during the playoffs.
Truth, but if Middleton wasn’t hurt, you would have been seeing Bucks/Warriors IMO.
That, they added two wings. Ingles has the potential to change this teams half court offense even if he will have to miss the first couple months.
Beauchamp is a defensive ready play, slasher. Shot needs a lot of work, but he also helps.
And then I absolutely expect Carter to have a big 2nd year in Milwaukee. Particularly on defense.
Getting Lopez for the year, Carter, Ingles , Beauchamp coming in, and then MAYBE Serge bouncing back to his pre-back injury form when he was good for 10/7 in 20 minutes.
I feel very good about how things went and I still think they’ll tinker around the edges during the buyout market and possibly in a trade with Hill, Allen and a pick or 3(2nds, shouldn’t start going into their ’27 1st at this point).
Bucks making zero changes really to roster. Not sure it will be good enough to get back to finals seems other contenders made moves to improve while MKE stood pat.
With limited or no money, at least without getting taxed, there wasn’t much they could really do. I’m a bit surprised both PatC and Portis are locked up, but not real enthused about Ibaka or Matthews. I read something about a possible trade involving GAllen (as part) for a more consistent scorer. That’s probably the best we can hope for now. A sneaky trade involving spare parts for a 4th or 5th scorer
They added Ingles who is a PERFECT fit for this Bucks roster. He’s an elite shooter, but also an elite passer, and he has surprisingly good defensive metrics when switching or on ball…especially defending the pick and roll.
He has a very real chance to be a massive-massive upgrade to this Bucks lineup the 2nd half of next year.
Beyond that, Carter was playing incredible last year before Hill came back, likely still injured from both back and core injuries that kept him out for a large chunk of the season.
Just Carter taking Hill’s minutes makes them a much more effective team.
Ingles at worse is a Kyle Korver type shooter with elite passing skills and at beast he’s a playmaker who can facilitate for other players.
And then they kept the core of the team in tact that pushed Boston to 7 without their 2nd best player and drafted a wing who…while needing a LOT of work offensively, is an NBA ready defender RIGHT NOW.
There wasn’t much work this team needed to do. Just owners willing to spend what it took to keep this team together and work around the fringes.
There’s a reason why many sites had the Bucks as the “winners” of the first day of free agency.
Who is leaving the Bucks compared to the playoffs?
Nobody. I mean…I think we had a few guys who were on the roster, but didn’t play, but they don’t lose anyone.
Jordan Nwora hasn’t re-signed yet, but he’s 2nd year player who didn’t play but a few minutes in the playoffs.
Should be the same group, just with the additions I mentioned. Ingles, Beauchamp, Carter…actually playing and hopefully Serge Ibaka is better a year after the back surgery. But even that…nit really a necessary signing. I like the big we’ve got on a 2 way deal a lot. Sandro Mamu-lots of other letters.
Definitely a team that can won it next year. But Boston looks better, GSW…they should he with their young talent and who knows where KD and all that end up.
This is the best team they’ve had, in my opinion, and the first time I’ll probably be considering them as a potential favorite
If Ingles comes back at anywhere near 100%, that’s going to be one of the more underrated additions the Bucks have made in years.
He’s similar to Toni Kukoc in his Basketball IQ, but despite his poor foot speed, somehow a good defender(anticipation, help defense, but also VERY good on ball defending the PnR).
Carter was breaking out last year. Hill should be shopped for a 2nd to a team that’ll take him…or maybe we give up the 2nd.
Ya. I’ve been an Ingles fan for a long time, and Beauchamp as a playmaking defensive wing is another big addition. Carter was previously an elite defender at guard, and a usable catch and shoot option. Their 2nd unit defense should be really strong. Was also really surprised they were able to keep Connaughton