Report: Indiana Pacer’s Victor Oladipo Has No Intention On Signing An Extention. What Team Should Trade For Him?

In the last 48 hours, Victor Oladipo has been reported that he will not be signing an extension with the Indiana Pacers. While this may appear to be mutual, the Pacers are rumoured to be open to the idea of trading away their franchise cornerstone player in Victor Oladipo. 

Before the devastating ACL injury that Oladipo suffered, he was an all-star player and a most improved player award recipient. The Pacers found their new all-star to rebuild with in Victor Oladipo but were short-lived as they now have Domantas Sabonis, who was named an all-star this season and will most likely be the future of the Pacers organization. Sabonis played phenomenally; however, Oladipo should be looked at as a more valuable asset compared to what the Pacers view him as. 

If this were the 1990’s, Sabonis would be a more valuable asset considering that era was dominated by the power forward and center position. Michael Jordan was the face of that era but, when diving in, the big man position was heavily overpowered compared to the guards or the forwards. However, in the modern-day era, a key essential for a team’s success is to have an all-star calibre guard that can shoot three’s and, if your lucky, play elite defence. Oladipo is a talented scorer with incredible defensive tendencies that took Lebron James to seven games in just his first year being the first option on a team! When Oladipo was completely healthy, the Pacers were seen as a dark horse team, which begs the question, why would they even consider trading away Victor Oladipo?

Victor’s ceiling in the NBA can be either an All-Star or an All-NBA player if he can remain healthy. However, the Pacers are rumoured to have an interest in trading away Oladipo by contemplating whether he is worth a max-contract. An ACL injury is one of the worst injuries a professional athlete can receive as NBA fans got to see super-star sensations like Derrick Rose regress. It is too early to tell if Oladipo will regress, it is a high risk to pay a player who suffered an ACL injury a max-contract over just one season of all-star potential. From an organization’s perspective, why would they give a player whose injury-prone a max-contract (which would be what Oladipo would most-likely demand) instead of saving their money to either sign other players or have enough cap-space to trade away assets to receive an even better player? Oladipo is a phenomenal athlete and a great teammate to have in the locker room; however, he is also a risk. With the sport of basketball evolving the way it has been, an ACL injury to a player that relies on his athleticism could be detrimental when its all said and done. The game is getting perpetually faster every season, which means, could Oladipo keep up after this devastating injury?

When Dominique Wilkins suffered a torn Achillies on January 28, 1992, there was a fear that Wilkins may never be the high-flying highlight reel that everyone loved and respected. However, Wilkins unexpectedly returned to his original state but had an even better season then all the previous years he played. The same thing can be said about Zach Lavine, who also tore his ACL but somehow became an even better player afterwards. Victor Oladipo can have the same fate considering that he is a fighter who is determined to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Even though an organization has the right to feel worried and hesitant in signing a player with an ACL record, it shouldn’t define the player. Instead, what should define the player is the character and willingness to improve or fix their situation. 

Derrick Rose is a perfect example of this as he suffered many injuries and yet never gave up because his character was the strongest of all. He could have given up, but instead, he worked on different aspects of the game and completely changed the way he played basketball and, as a result, is now an 18 point per game scorer. Oladipo has that fire and will adapt his game as he is only 28 years old. It is a risk to take from an organization’s perspective; however, it is a smart risk as they will have not only a leader but also an example of what hard work is all about. Oladipo has proven to be hard-working the moment he was traded to Indiana. He hired an athletic trainer to help Oladipo change his entire body. From increased muscle mass to extreme levels of stamina, Oladipo wasn’t given his talents; he had to work hard to get to where he is, so why wouldn’t an organization want that from their star player? However, if the Pacers announce that Oladipo is on the table, what teams should go after him?

Note: Oladipo would have to be traded to a team, which means that teams would have to have enough assets and cap-space to trade for him. So although Oladipo on the Milwaukee Bucks would be interesting to see alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, that fantasy is merely a fantasy due to cap-space. 

Brooklyn Nets

A few weeks ago, Bradley Beal caught the Nets organization’s eyes as they wanted a third option alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. With Durant and Irving being potentially known as injury-prone players, having Oladipo on the team would prevent this from happening simply because no player has to take a major load. The Nets are already sitting pretty as they have a proper foundation to work with while also having a terrific bench and arguably the best bench in the NBA. This means that the Nets can trade multiple assets to attain Victor Oladipo. The players that come to mind that would fit perfectly in the Pacers rotation would be a package of Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris Levert in exchange for Victor Oladipo and TJ McConnell. The Pacers receive two border-line All-Star calibre players while the Nets receive the third All-Star player that they need while having a decent back-up point guard in TJ McConnell. 

Miami Heat

If you tuned in to my article about DeMarcus Cousins being a potential signing with the Heat when the season returns, you would notice that the Heat believes that they are a piece away from winning the title. Having Oladipo in a Heat jersey sounds incredible and exciting; however, the Heat would have to give up Tyler Herro. Herro is one of the best rookies in the NBA, with many upsides. Oladipo is a fairly established player but still has room to grow. The trio of Butler, Oladipo and Bam Adebayo would be a force in the NBA if it can remain healthy. The Heat have also stated that if they fail to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo, then there number one target is Victor Oladipo. If the Indiana Pacers decide to trade Oladipo, the Heat will most definitely be the favourites in attaining the former All-Star. The trade would include Tyler Herro and Andre Iguodala in exchange for Victor Oladipo. 

Toronto Raptors

The former NBA champions are not finished in proving their worth to the NBA. The Raptors will not only have plenty of cap space to make this trade but also have enough assets to trade to attract the Pacers in accepting their deal. The Raptor’s primary core has a mixture of young and old talent. Depending on what direction the Pacers have, they could either trade for veterans or young talent. The trade would entail that Norman Powell, OG Anunoby and potentially Terrence Davis would have to be in this deal unless the Raptors are willing to trade Kyle Lowry. However, the Pacers are a young team and would most-likely trade Oladipo for young assets, hence why the trade for Oladipo could be two different deals. The first deal could be a sign and trade for Fred Vanvleet, and pairing him with OG Anunoby or Norman Powell to Indiana in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Doug McDermott. The other deal that could happen would be, Kyle Lowry and OG Anunoby in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Doug McDermott. Regardless, the Raptors would be left with a solid point guard (Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet depending on what direction the Pacers want to go in) and an All-Star shooting guard. At the same time, the Pacers would receive a defensive small forward with lots of potentials, and an all-star calibre player in Kyle Lowry or Fred VanVleet. 

Victor Oladipo on those teams would be spectacular to see; however, the best fit for him logically is where he is currently at. In the end, the Pacers should re-sign Oladipo as he will prove his worth just like he did with his previous contract when it was regarded as an over-pay. The only question is, is Victor Oladipo going to demand a max-contract?