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Victor Oladipo saw his awaited rise to stardom careen down a spiral when his knee injury occurred in 2019, but that might not be the biggest fracture he has experienced in his brief time with the Indiana Pacers.
According to Pacers beat writer Scott Agness, the All-Star guard had a fracture in his relationship with the team shortly after his injury. That plays a bigger role now, considering Oladipo is second-guessing his original decision not to take part in the NBA restart.
“The Pacers fully support Oladipo and whatever he decides, although they haven’t always been on the same page,” wrote Agness. “There was a fracture in the relationship after his injury in Jan. 2019, per sources. It has improved over time. And it’s good that the team has two executives down there, Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan, to assist during this situation.”
On a surface level, there isn't much grinding their relationship considering the Pacers were perfectly willing to pay him his remaining $3 million, even if he sits out the remainder of the season.
By NBA rules, Oladipo should not be paid his remaining salary, as he was considered healthy and decided to opt out. The league is hoping to set a precedent that would keep other players from demanding their salary despite not playing a minute of the restart.
“It’s no surprise that they backed me and they support me,” Oladipo said of the organization earlier this week when discussing the up-in-the-air status of his decision. “I’m just thankful that they got my back.”
Oladipo and the Pacers might be on better terms now, but the 28-year-old only has one year remaining on his contract ($21 million). It won't be long before he steps up to the negotiation table again asking for a steep raise as a soon-to-be free agent. Extension talks went nowhere before this season, and there have already been some trade rumblings surrounding the star guard.
This will be a situation to monitor moving forward.
