Biyombo would like to be back with Raptors: 'I love it here'
The Toronto Raptors' postseason run to the Eastern Conference finals was kind to center Bismack Biyombo, whose elevated play undoubtedly boosted his value on the open market.
The 23-year-old will reportedly decline his $2.9-million player option and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Taking into account how well he performed during the playoffs and the annual salary of $15 million he's expected to garner, it will be increasingly difficult for the Raptors to retain his services heading into next season.
Nonetheless, Biyombo reiterated after the Raptors' series-ending loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night that he'd love to remain in the "6ix" moving forward.
"I would like to be back here," Biyombo said. "I mean, I've said it before that I love it here. From day one, when I got here, the love that I got from my teammates and this organization has been amazing. I'm sure that there's people that's well placed that's going to handle that part. That's the last part I should be worried about, besides thinking of how we can get better as a team and try to improve on our next season."
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Biyombo's standout performance of the playoffs came in Game 3 against the Cavaliers at Air Canada Centre, pulling down a franchise record 26 rebounds in 39 minutes of action to help give Toronto one of their two wins in the series.
He became just the fourth player to grab 25 or more in a postseason game since 1984, joining an elite class of big men which includes Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Dwight Howard.
In 20 postseason appearances, Biyombo averaged 6.2 points on 58 percent shooting, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 25.3 minutes. He was inserted into the starting lineup after Jonas Valanciunas injured his ankle in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat. From that point on, Biyombo averaged 8.2 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 33.1 minutes.