Are the Indiana Pacers going to trade Victor Oladipo after all?
The offseason has been full of trade rumors about Victor Oladipo. The 28-year old guard still has one year to go in his contract with the Indiana Pacers. Hints on him “looking to move on,” though, have been relaunched over and over again on several media. The idea that Oladipo could be included in a trade with the Boston Celtics was first suggested by Jared Weiss of The Athletic back in November. The idea was that the Celtics would trade Gordon Hayward against Oladipo and throw some more draft picks into the package.
Oladipo is about to start the season with the Pacers, but fans and wagerers are pricking their ears because his staying to the end is apparently far from certain. Keep an eye on Indiana sportsbooks because there may be some interesting opportunities there waiting for you. The uncertainty of how much Oladipo has recovered from his quad rupture makes his future uncertain and fuels more speculations.
The first All-Star selection of his career, in 2017-18, was smashing, with averages of 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game. All teams who are eyeing him for a possible trade are weighing the possibilities that he regains that form.
Last season, Oladipo played in 19 games with the Pacers, while starting in 16 of those appearances. His average was 14.5 points per game, with 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Besides, he averaged 17.8 points per game in four playoff games that the Pacers played against the Miami Heat. And yet, Kevin Pritchard could still consider trading Oladipo.
On Dec. 18Th, Zach Buckle of the Bleacher Report relaunched the hypothesis of a Celtics – Pacers trade. This time the hypothesis is “Marcus Smart, Romeo Langford and 2021 lottery-protected first-round pick to Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo”. Again, Oladipo’s recovery is indispensable for any such trade to really happen. Indiana would disengage from his upcoming free agency and “bring back an elite defender in Smart (creating a compelling backcourt tandem with Malcolm Brogdon), a high-upside prospect in Langford and a first-round pick”.
Earlier on, the Bleacher Report reported on Twitter that Victor Oladipo had asked other teams, “Can I come play with y’all?” in front of his Pacers teammates. Allegedly, it happened with the Raptors, Heat, and Knicks. This bit of gossip caused quite a stir, as it seemingly pointed to a strong frustration growing in Victor Oladipo and a growing dissatisfaction with his situation in the Indiana Pacers.
Kenneth Wilson of Fanside has just come up with another hypothesis for a possible Oladipo trade. According to him, the Miami Heat losing the opportunity of getting Giannis Antetokounmpo could be motivated to consider the Indiana Pacers guard as a substitute. NBA Analysis Network says that there are as many as 4 teams who should still pursue a Victor Oladipo trade: the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks.
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