NBA Draft Rumors: Raptors wanted Serge Ibaka in trade

The Toronto Raptors reportedly tried to trade for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka during the first round of the NBA Draft.

The Toronto Raptors drafted Utah’s Jakob Poeltl with the ninth overall pick in the NBA Draft, but the phones were being worked before the pick was made.

The extent of the discussions between the Raptors and the Oklahoma City Thunder is unknown at this point, but it does not seem like negotiations went far. The fact ESPN’s Marc Stein says the Thunder flat-out refused the pitch shows the discussion may have just taken place on one short phone call.

The Raptors had a record season, winning 56 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it was clear the team needs another dominant player to join Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan if the Raptors want any shot to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and advance to the NBA Finals in the next few years.

The selection of Poeltl gives the Raptors another rebounder if Bismack Biyombo decides to leave Toronto and earn a bigger paycheck, which may be the case given his performance in this year’s playoffs.

It may take some time for Poeltl to develop into a dominant force in the NBA, but two years in college gives him some experience, especially considering he played in the Pac-12.

The Thunder spurned the offer proposed by the Raptors but ultimately traded Ibaka to the Orlando Magic.

The offer from the Magic gives the Thunder some proven talent in Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova, although it may upset the Raptors if their offer turns out to be similar to that of Orlando’s.

There are surely more trades and surprises to come throughout the rest of the night. Welcome to the draft.

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