Oklahoma City’s decision to trade Serge Ibaka caught people by surprise, but the more we learn, the more it makes sense why they did what they did.
Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reported Saturday that Ibaka was unlikely to remain with the Thunder after his contract expired next summer, and that he had damaged his relationship with the team and some players due to his lobbying for a larger role in the offense.
Ibaka’s agent, Andy Miller, confirmed to the Vertical that Ibaka had wanted an advanced role and not been given one, despite assurances otherwise.
“There was an expectation of a larger role,” Miller said. “It was overpromised and under-delivered. Everyone should be held to the same level of accountability across the board.”
It’s quite clear now that Ibaka wasn’t satisfied with his role in Oklahoma City. He’s entering a contract year, there will be a ton of money flying around the NBA in the summer of 2017, and a bigger role would give him more of a chance of getting in on it. He’ll have a better crack at that in Orlando than he would have in Oklahoma City, and once the Thunder heard that Kevin Durant was okay with a deal, it was probably a fairly straightforward decision for the front office.
