Boston Celtics: Ranking the best potential offseason suitors for Serge Ibaka

The Boston Celtics will be one of many suitors for free-agent big man Serge Ibaka this offseason. Where do they rank as a landing spot for the 2019 NBA champion’s services?

When it comes to the 2020 NBA offseason, anything goes. We don’t know how much money will be handed out in salary, but the Boston Celtics don’t have much of it to spend. They must fill their need for a big man, among other things, and have the mid-level exception at their disposal.

That’s what makes Serge Ibaka such a good target for the Cs, considering recent developments that he would take a salary under $6 million in 2020-21. But are they the very best target for him to spend next season with?

The Houdini ranks Boston among the very best potential suitors for the Congolese center:

3. Golden State Warriors

Given what the Golden State Warriors have won titles with in the past at the center position, having Serge Ibaka enter the picture could give them their best pivot since Andrew Bogut in 2016.

The 2008 first-round pick would be the floor-spacing big the team currently lacks. Ibaka shot an impressive 39 percent from the 3-point line in three attempts per game in 2019-20. Ultimately though, he was replaced by Marc Gasol as the starting center for the Toronto Raptors in the postseason.

We all know how the postseason went, with the Boston Celtics eliminating the north and curtailing their first title defense in franchise history in September. That could leave a bad taste in Ibaka’s mouth, and perhaps the allure of a starting role in the Bay Area could cause him to join the franchise he conquered last June.