Bucks Championship Odds Remain +600 After Trading for Serge Ibaka – Is Milwaukee Worth an NBA Title Bet?

• The Milwaukee Bucks gave up Donte DiVincenzo and acquired Serge Ibaka in a four-team trade
• Milwaukee’s title odds remain +600 after the deal
• Is now the time to back the Bucks to repeat?

Rumors about the Bucks dealing Donte DiVincenzo came to fruition on Thursday. Milwaukee got in on a four-team deal with the Kings, Pistons and Clippers to acquire Serge Ibaka. The defending champions also gave up Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye.

The Bucks’ NBA Championship odds are unmoved. They are still +600 at FanDuel, just behind the Suns, Warriors and Nets. Despite having to deal with Covid absences and injuries throughout the season, Milwaukee is just a half-game back at the top of the Eastern Conference which looks wide-open given the dysfunction in Brooklyn.

NBA Championship Odds

Odds as of Feb 10 at FanDuel

With Antetokounmpo once again a favorite in the NBA MVP odds, Ibaka gives the Bucks some much needed front court re-enforcement for what should be a deep title-defense playoff run.

Fitting Ibaka In to Milwaukee Lineup

First of all, the success of this trade depends on which Serge Ibaka the Bucks get. The former Raptor has looked creaky at points this season, and he’s played just 15.4 minutes per game.

Just as a back problem has destroyed Brook Lopez’s season, Ibaka has had plenty of his own back issues. Health is a concern here, though he’s been available on a consistent basis since November. His workload isn’t going to be what it once was, but he’s still shooting the ball well at decent volume. The former Thunder big man has hit north of 38% of his threes on 4.1 attempts per 36 minutes.

ESPN Sources:
Full trade participants:
Kings: Donte DiVincenzo, Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson.
Bucks: Serge Ibaka, two future second-round picks, cash.
Clippers: Rodney Hood, Semi Ojele.
Pistons: Marvin Bagley Jr.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022

While Ibaka isn’t quite as switchable as he once was, he’s still a decent rim protector to slot alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo or Bobby Portis. His 1.7 blocks per 36 this season is similar to his numbers since leaving Oklahoma City. The combination of outside shooting and length on defense is exactly what Mike Budenholzer is looking for next to Giannis.

Ibaka Can Cover for Lopez

Ibaka isn’t going to play big minutes. Playing the Greek Freak at the five will likely be the go-to in the postseason, but there are certain matchups where Ibaka’s size will be valuable. This can be seen as an insurance play on Lopez – it’s unclear if the former Net will return at all this season after back surgery.

I like the idea of Serge Ibaka for Milwaukee, I'd just been thinking of him more as a buyout target after getting dumped into OKC's cap space. I probably would have preferred to use the Donte DiVincenzo chip on something else, but Ibaka definitely helps.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) February 10, 2022

The Toronto version of Ibaka raises Milwaukee’s ceiling. It takes quite some imagination to see Ibaka getting back to that level, though, so the best case is probably Ibaka staying healthy and playing anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes in the playoffs depending on the matchup.

After letting DeMarcus Cousins go, there was a need for another big. Ibaka checks that box, and brings a better two-way skillset than Cousins, who isn’t a good enough defender to stay on the court in the playoffs.

Bucks NBA Championship Chances Improved By Move

The Bucks already looked a good bet to defend their title. Ibaka isn’t the most exciting acquisition of this trade deadline, but he enables bettors to feel more confident about Milwaukee’s frontcourt situation given the uncertainty over Lopez.

Serge Ibaka was the missing piece the Clippers needed in 2020. He had a really rough time with the team because of injuries, but always remained completely professional. For him to be that professional honestly says a lot about him.

— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) February 10, 2022

Ibaka’s presence allows margin for error if Portis suffers an injury. It provides another big to throw at Joel Embiid or battle with Cleveland’s duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Given their depth on the perimeter, losing DiVincenzo is a relatively small price to pay, particularly when reports suggested the Bucks didn’t fancy paying the former first round pick this offseason.