Serge Ibaka Would Fit Perfectly With the Charlotte Hornets

With the Charlotte Hornets clearly in need of a trade and Marvin Williams underwhelming, a deal for Serge Ibaka may be the perfect move.

The Charlotte Hornets could use an upgrade at multiple positions but Marvin Williams’ slight regression this season is of concern for the team. The Orlando Magic have recently made Serge Ibaka available in trade talks. He could be a perfect fit in Steve Clifford’s system.

A major problem with making a deal for Ibaka is that the Magic reportedly want a proven wing scorer in return for one of their two big men. Charlotte lacks a scoring presence on the wing outside of Nicolas Batum. Although, the Hornets and their veteran general manager in Rich Cho, may be able to convince Orlando into making a deal that works for both sides.

Despite being only about four games back of the Hornets, the Magic aren’t going anywhere this season as they have one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, Charlotte still has a chance to help turn their season around a bit as they look to make the playoffs for a second straight year. They are still a quality team but they are definitely in need of change.

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Ibaka is a valuable player because of his ability to not only block shots but also knock down three’s. Serge and Marvin Williams have similar play styles. Orlando’s stretch four is just a little bit better in almost every statistical category. The Magic might be interested in a swap deal, with other pieces included, because Ibaka is in the last year of his current deal and will be a free agent this summer while Williams just signed a team-friendly four-year deal this past offseason.

Obviously, other parts would need to be included in the trade. Charlotte would likely need to send a first round pick packed with a player like Jeremy Lamb. Although the Hornets haven’t been mentioned in trade talks, they are very likely to make a move before the February 23rd trade deadline. Just about everyone expects something to happen but Rich Cho and the organization will probably wait until closer to the deadline to make a deal as other teams become more desperate to unload quality players.

Just taking a look at Ibaka, he is the perfect fit for Steve Clifford and the Hornets. He would easily slide into the starting power forward spot and immediately be the defensive presence that Charlotte’s lacking. He would also add more on offense by being a threat in the pick and roll and knocking down outside shots with consistency.

Let’s take a statistical comparison of the two players:

Serge Ibaka – 30.3 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.6 BPG, 48.5% FG/ 38.4% 3P/ 82.3% FT

Marvin Williams – 27.4 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 BPG, 40.3% FG/ 36.3% 3P/ 84.1% FT

Here’s a potential trade that could work for both sides:

This is only one trade that could be made involving Ibaka and Williams. (ESPN Trade Machine) There are literally so many deals that could be done. This one would give Orlando a young scoring wing on a good contract in Jeremy Lamb while Charlotte would get an unproven prospect in “Super” Mario Hezonja.

It would definitely be a risk for the Hornets as Serge could leave in the summer but they could send a statement that they want to win now. Ibaka would make them a better team on both ends of the court, make them younger, and if everything goes well, Charlotte could re-sign him during the offseason.

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After years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ibaka proved that he could be the third option on a championship level team. the 27-year old would be the perfect addition to the Charlotte Hornets’ roster. It will be hard to convince division rivals to make a trade but if Rich Cho and management can find out a way to get a deal done, Buzz City would be in business.