Indiana Pacers: Is a Victor Oladipo trade on the horizon?
By Nick Alvarez
Why might the Indiana Pacers trade Victor Oladipo?
It’s easy to see the ridiculous side of trading Victor Oladipo. When last healthy, Oladipo was a player that averaged 23 points per game and put up 2.4 steals per game which led to a season that saw Oladipo make All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team.
To put that season in perspective though, that was one season of Oladipo’s career after four seasons of just solid play before that. In addition to that, the half-season Oladipo played last season saw him be a player still capable of being an All-Star but not quite as good as he was in the 2018 season.
It’s possible the Pacers might have already seen the best of Oladipo, and with the breakout of Domantas Sabonis, this season is at all possible that the Pacers might be best served to trade Oladipo to a star-hungry team?
The idea may still sound preposterous but consider this too: Victor Oladipo is entering the final year of his contract with the Pacers and an extension doesn’t feel to be on the horizon. Reports suggest the Pacers offered Oladipo a four-year, $80 million extension but after having an All-NBA season Oladipo reportedly wants a max-deal.
The writing may already be on the wall that Indiana just hasn’t seen enough from Oladipo to think that he’s worth being a max-level player.