Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has been involved in countless trade rumors as we head into the 2020 offseason. Despite the endless talks, the two-time All-Star has not given a clear indication that he wants to get out of Indiana, which is a sign for the team's front office to not press the panic button just yet.
Via Bob Kravitz of The Athletic
“The Pacers understand, they can't and won't spend the kind of money that other teams spend, so they've got to be more creative and forward-thinking with their approach. At this point, there's still no public indication whether Victor Oladipo will remain with the Pacers; he gave off a get-me-outta-here vibe in recent months, but sources tell me it hasn't yet reached critical mass. They also have to decide whether they're going to move forward with the Myles Turner-Domantas Sabonis big-man pairing. Turner would seem the more likely focus of a trade if they go that way.”
Oladipo recently came off a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee, which sidelined him for the majority of the 2019-2020 NBA season. In January 2020, he eventually made his return to the Pacers, which was followed by him joining the team in the Disney bubble after some debate about whether he would do so or not.
The Indiana product only averaged 17.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 39.3% shooting in four playoff games. The Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round. He still has one year left on his four-year, $85 million contract signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2017 before becoming a free agent in 2021.
Hopefully, the recent hiring of former Toronto Raptors assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren as the team's new head tactician will help convince Oladipo to stay in Indiana for the coming seasons. Otherwise, the team will have to resort to trading him rather than letting him walk for nothing.
Follow Us
Subscribe