Beijing time on November 12th, American media Forbes reporter Mike Mazzeo reported that Durant is recruiting Ibaka to join the Nets; but in fact, as early as January this year, retired player Caron Butler said that Durant Te and Owen have already determined the recruits.
this year's offseason was postponed for more than four months due to the epidemic, but this did not affect Durant and Irving's plans. As Caron Butler said ten months ago, Durant represented the Nets to recruit Ibaka as a free agent, hoping that he could join.
Ibaka averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season, helping the Raptors reach the semifinals and eventually lost to the Celtics in the tiebreaker. Ibaka, 31, is at the peak of his career.
His performance on the offensive end is very versatile, not only has good inside footwork skills, but also can extend the range beyond the three-point line; the defensive end is also a famous gate, has always been known for being tough. His annual salary with the Raptors last season was $23.27 million.
However, the Nets' salary space is relatively tight, and can only provide him with a $5.7 million mid-class exception; in other words, Ibaka needs a salary cut to join the Nets. The Nets' competition is very big, and players like Ibaka are also very popular.
It is worth mentioning that Ibaka's total career salary is more than 100 million US dollars. He and Durant have been teammates with the Thunder for seven years, and they have a good understanding of each other. Such personal relationships may be good for Du. Rand recruited Ibaka to some extent.
