Indiana Pacers: After losing Victor Oladipo, what’s next for the Pacers?
After losing Victor Oladipo for the season with a significant knee injury, we explore what’s next for the Indiana Pacers
When the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a package that was centered around Victor Oladipo, many were quick to question and criticize the Pacers for making such a deal.
And with the way that Oladipo had gotten off to his career, there really was no disagreeing. Trading your franchise player for a young talent that had done nothing more than disappoint through his first few seasons in the NBA was not a great look. However, after making the NBA All-Star game last season and then following up that breakout year picking up where he left off this season, it was clear that Oladipo had arrived.
He was no longer that disappointment anymore. He was now a certified NBA All-Star, and was leading the Pacers to the third-best record in the East this season too. However, after slipping (and suffering an apparent knee injury) during the team’s win over the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night, it looks like the Pacers will have to move forward without their all-star guard.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
The early indications is that Oladipo will likely miss the remainder of the season. It’s certainly a tough blow for a team that was continuing to be one of the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference.
"[via ESPN]A preliminary exam has left the Indiana Pacers fearful that All-Star guard Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending right knee injury Wednesday night that will require surgery, league sources told ESPN."
It should be noted that nothing is certain at the moment, and perhaps Oladipo could sidestep a major injury here, but everything that has surfaced suggests that he’ll miss the remainder of the season. So, for the sake of this article, we’ll move forward under that pretense.
Assuming that Oladipo will miss the majority of the season, does that change anything moving forward for the Pacers? Will they attack the NBA Trade Deadline any differently? The team is currently third in the Eastern Conference standings, but will likely fall, at the very least, a couple spots to the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
Perhaps they could hold off the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, who they’re six games clear of, and finish as a top 5 seed when the regular season is over.
The Pacers have a number of decisions to make on expiring contracts. Thaddeus Young, Tyreke Evans, Bojan Bogdanovic and Cory Joseph are all on expiring deals. All are expected to be unrestricted free agents, and could walk during the summer for absolutely nothing.
Should they make any of them available at the trade deadline, considering that the team won’t likely be making a big push to compete with some of the other elites in the East? Should they keep them through the season, hoping that this group could make a run without Oladipo?
Related Story. NBA Trade Deadline: 5 surprise names that could be moved. light
It won’t be an easy decision to make for the Indiana Pacers, but there’s no question that they have to figure out who they want to be for the remainder of the season. The injury to Victor Oladipo is a real shame and is terrible timing.