Serge Ibaka was once among the best shot-blockers in the NBA.
The 14-year NBA veteran spent this past season playing for the Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 48.1% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point range in 16 games.
Over three weeks into free agency, Ibaka is still available.
I believe the Miami Heat are the team that should bring him into training camp.
Why?
The Heat are coming off a year where they made the NBA Finals for the second time in the previous four seasons.
They are a veteran-led team and will once again be among the teams contending for the NBA Championship next season.
However, the Heat (who were the eighth seed) struggled to protect the rim and grab rebounds last season.
They ranked last in the NBA for blocks per game (3.1) and 25th for rebounds per game (48.7).
All-Star Bam Adebayo is one of the best centers in the NBA, but having good depth behind him will be critical to avoid another mediocre regular season.
Ibaka is no longer in the prime of his career but could be someone to play 10-15 minutes per game and help them in a significant way on defense.
In addition, Ibaka has experience playing for many elite teams.
He won the 2019 NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors and has played in an astonishing 152 NBA playoff games.
His career averages are 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest while shooting 51.3% from the field and 35.9% from the three-point range in 919 regular season games.
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