Miami Heat: Is it time to revisit a potential trade for Victor Oladipo?

Should the Miami Heat revisit a potential trade for Victor Oladipo?

Through the first 12 games of the season, I’m not sure many expected the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat to be 5-7 and sitting in the 12th slot in the conference standings. Nevertheless, that’s where the team currently is after splitting two games with the lowly Detroit Pistons over the past few days.

In fairness, you can make a strong argument that the biggest reason that the Heat has struggled to open the season falls on safety protocols that have limited the availability of several of the team’s key players including Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo.

Still, even in games in which the Heat have been at full strength something has been off. The team doesn’t have the same swagger as they did in the restart bubble and their defense has been absolutely terrible to start the year.

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Through the first 12 games, the Heat has the league’s 22nd best offense and 23rd best defense. They also have a -3.6 net rating and don’t have the look of a playoff team right now. It’s becoming clearer that this team might need something to jump start this squad.

Whether that’s a trade or perhaps a “come to Jesus” team meeting, something has to change if the Heat is going to be viewed as a contender once again in the Eastern Conference. Either way, one thing that we do know is that this is not something that Heat president Pat Riley is just going to let fly.

One potential option that remains on the table for the Heat, after missing out on James Harden who is now on the Brooklyn Nets, is perhaps targeting Victor Oladipo at the NBA Trade Deadline. Oladipo was somewhat surprisingly thrown-in as part of that Harden trade and is now a member of the Houston Rockets.

Before you suggest that Houston wouldn’t even think about moving him after just acquiring him, let me throw a few things at you first.

One, Oladipo is a free agent after this season and there’s a good chance that he could leave even if he does play out the season in Houston. Two, does Houston want to give Oladipo max money with a super-max contract (John Wall) already on its roster? Three, perhaps trading Oladipo was the plan all along after realizing they weren’t going to get both blue-chip prospects and a myriad of draft picks in exchange for Harden?

You can make the case that there’s more of a chance that the Rockets trade Oladipo over the next couple of months than they pay Oladipo the max money that he’s likely going to demand on the open market during the offseason.

Miami could potentially swoop in and take Oladipo off the team’s hands, if they’re wiling to send a couple of their young pieces to Houston. The Heat reportedly didn’t want to unload their entire asset chest for Harden, but could they be willing to send a few of those same assets to Houston for Oladipo?

After a poor showing in the NBA’s restart bubble last season, Oladipo has looked more than impressive during the 10 games he’s played in this season. In nine games with the Indiana Pacers, Oladipo averaged 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 42 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from 3-point range.

During his debut with the Rockets, Oladipo finished with 32 points, nine assists, and five rebounds on 13-23 shooting from the field and 4-9 shooting from 3-point range. Oladipo has looked like a completely different player from what he showed in the restart bubble and could be exactly what the Heat needs in the backcourt.

The Miami Heat might need to revisit a potential trade for Victor Oladipo, especially if he’s healthy again. After missing out on James Harden, he might be their best next step as they attempt to stay afloat amongst contenders in the Eastern Conference.