Ibaka was surprised by Durant's Oklahoma City exit
Kevin Durant was a cornerstone of the Oklahoma City Thunder for nine seasons, with forward Serge Ibaka by his side for seven of them. Together, along with All-Star Russell Westbrook, they led OKC to within an arm's grasp of an NBA championship on multiple occasions, but were never quite able to get over the hump.
The former frontcourt mates will both suit up for different sides in 2016-17, following Durant's move to the Golden State Warriors in free agency, while Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic in a draft-night deal.
The obvious difference between the two moves is that Durant willingly joined the 73-win Warriors as an unrestricted free agent, while Ibaka was sent packing by management in order to land Victor Oladipo and pieces. Regardless, Ibaka was taken back by the four-time scoring champion's decision to leave the only organization he's ever known, but ultimately respects the choice his ex-teammate has made.
"No, not really," Ibaka told Complex's Zach Frydenlund, when asked if he had a sense Durant was going to leave. "And it's tough for him. It's tough to make that kind of decision and it's not easy, but at the end of the day he needs to do what makes him happy. What he thinks makes him happy, makes his family happy, that matters.
"We have to accept that and from the position of Oklahoma City, from the team, it's tough if your star leaves like that and I understand that. But, there's some stuff in life that we can't control. The fans in Oklahoma City and the team can't control that and if that makes Kevin Durant happy, then good for him."
An up-and-coming Magic squad is now Ibaka's priority, and the two-time NBA blocks leader is excited for what lies ahead - hopefully ending Orlando's four-year postseason drought.
"It feels great, man. In my mind, this almost feels like my first rookie year," Ibaka said. "I'm fresh and sometimes change is just good for you. I'm excited, been working out really hard for the upcoming season. We have a young team with a bright future and I want to bring what I learned the seven years in Oklahoma City and make the team better."