Toronto Raptors
Depending on how much compensation Serge Ibaka is seeking on his next deal, simply returning to the Toronto Raptors is certainly an attractive option. He will almost certainly have to take less on his next deal regardless of the team anyway.
There will be no shortage of key players that will be free agents for the Raptors after this season ends. It starts with Fred VanVleet, but it’s also important to remember that Marc Gasol will be hitting the open market as well.
If the Raptors are not interested in bringing back Gasol or he simply walks in free agency, it would be crucial to bring Ibaka back. The alternatives in free agency are traditional big men that would not provide the needed floor-spacing around Pascal Siakam.
The Raptors will have the option of being able to exceed the salary cap total and that’s an advantage if it ends up dropping significantly. It will just be a matter of how far they want to go to exceed that figure and how many players they’d need to do that for.
