While newly acquired guard Victor Oladipo has expressed his excitement at joining John Wall and the Houston Rockets, the All-Star isn't quite ready to commit long-term to the franchise.
Speaking with reporters over Zoom at his first practice as a member of the Houston organization, Oladipo expressed his openness to remaining with the Rockets long-term but was careful to keep his options open once he hits free agency.
According to Michael Scotto of USA Today, Oladipo was frank in his decision-making process when it came to potentially re-signing with the Rockets:
“If it fits, things work out, if I’m happy” Oladipo said when asked if he would remain in Houston long-term. “Essentially, it’s like a business plan. You’ve got to go through every aspect of the business plan before you kind of figure out if you want to invest in it.”
With the guard operating in the final season of his four-year, $85 million deal that he signed in 2017, there had been intense speculation about whether he would look to remain in Houston or seek greener pastures on a contending team.
While the Rockets would almost certainly benefit from Oladipo's presence on the court, there are also questions over the organization's willingness to dole out another four-year deal north of $100 million that the All-Star could likely command. Given that Houston does not own their draft picks for the foreseeable future—due to a plethora of win-now moves made by the previous general manager Daryl Morey—the Rockets could find it beneficial to retain the guard in a bid to stay competitive despite the hefty price tag.
Regardless of the Rockets' plans, however, Oladipo still has to be convinced the organization is one in whom to invest.
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