Houston Rockets: 3 biggest ‘what ifs’ from a nightmarish season

What if the Houston Rockets never traded Victor Oladipo to Miami?

Calling Victor Oladipo‘s tenure in Houston, “sub-par” would be accurate. Victor’s 20 games in Houston were not great as far as wins and losses go, his numbers were OK at 21 points, five assists, and five rebounds per game at 40 percent shooting from the field.

The fit was odd, and the injuries kept him from getting a rhythm as far as minutes and fit go. Not to mention the Rockets are on a full rebuild, and their season is one step above a dumpster fire.

Victor was dealt to Miami at the deadline for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a Miami pick swap. Victor’s up for free agency, the Rockets obviously don’t want to pay him big money for a long period of time, which is smart. The problem is, the Rockets return was abysmal.

Let’s recap, the pick swap for this upcoming draft, Why? What good does that do for the Rockets? Nothing. Avery Bradley, an undersized guard, in his 30s whose not great offensively. I can’t imagine he’d be a part of the long-term plans. Then Kelly Olynyk, who’s played well, but again, he’s not a core guy for a competitive team.

So let’s say Oladipo is still on the team, he recently hurt his knee on a dunk while playing for the Heat. Not surprising, as he’s missed a lot of time with a lot of injuries that started back in his Indiana days. If the Rockets still had Victor, they’d be just as bad, and starring a big decision to offer Oladipo too much money to entice him into staying in Houston or letting him walk for nothing.

In other words, keeping Oladipo is a lose-lose situation. Imagine seeing the headline this summer that reads, “Victor Oladipo signs with Houston for five years, $150 million,” if you’re a Houston fan, wouldn’t you rather just have Olynyk and Bradley who are on shorter cheaper deals, and just start from scratch?

A core of John Wall who’s a top-paid guy with production that doesn’t justify the money, Oladipo would be a similar scenario, and you have both of them? Not a good look. Even if Oladipo re-signed and was the guy he once was at his peak in Indiana, he’s still not worth that number.