After losing both Max Strus and Gabe Vincent in free agency, the Miami Heat set themselves up in order to retool and improve the supporting cast around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. To do that, the team traded Victor Oladipo back to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Heat sent Oladipo and draft compensation to the Thunder in the deal. With that, Miami created a $9.45 million trade exception that they can use to sign or trade for another veteran who can immediately help them, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
It's certainly a rather sad ending for Oladipo's Heat stint. He had the chance to help Miami in the 2023 NBA playoffs, but he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during the first round and had to miss the rest of the postseason. He recently picked up his $9.4 million option for 2023-24 to return to Vice City, but unfortunately for him, Miami had other plans.
Miami, however, needed to make the trade in its bid to field another title contender in the upcoming campaign. It will take Oladipo at least six moths to rehab and recover from his knee injury, but the Heat simply can't wait for him. Not to mention that it's unlikely Dipo will be able to make an impact immediately when he returns.
The good news for Oladipo is he's reuniting with the Thunder and returning to Oklahoma City where he had plenty of success. While it's unknown what OKC plans to do with him, Woj noted that he's well-regarded in the organization during his one-year run with them.
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