Indiana Pacers All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo ruptured his quad tendon in his right knee last season. The injury forced Oladipo to miss the 2019 playoffs and the first 47 games of the 2019-20 campaign.
Per J. Michael of Indy Star, the Pacers have received a $10 million insurance on Oladipo and are expected to drop to the league's lowest payroll as a result:
The Pacers' cap number is $114.6 million for 2019-20 and they're positioned to come in at $104.6 million due to Oladipo's injury, well below the current 30th payroll of the Atlanta Hawks ($112.3 million).
Each NBA team submits at least five players to receive league-wide insurance and the highest salaries fall under this CBA provision. After a 41-game waiting period (Oladipo went down in the 47th game last season and returned in the 48th this season), insurance pays 80%.
Oladipo is making $21 million this season with the Pacers. He is due the same amount next season.
In 13 games for the Pacers this campaign, Oladipo averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was shooting just 39.1 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line, as the rust was clearly there for him.
Before the season was suspended, the Pacers were in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 39-26. The NBA would like to resume the season in the summer, but it's unclear if that can happen since the coronavirus is spreading very fast.
Since acquiring Victor Oladipo from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Paul George trade, the Pacers have watched the 6-foot-4 guard put up a stat line of 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Dipo also won the 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
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