The Indiana Pacers will be headed for an offseason full of difficult decisions to be made. Among them will be how to navigate Victor Oladipo entering what will be the final year of his current contract.
If the Pacers fail to reach an agreement on a contract extension with Oladipo, it appears quite possible Indiana could look to trade the two-time All-Star. Let’s remember, both sides quickly tabled contract talks before the start of last season after the disconnect in what each side sought.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, an Eastern Conference executive believes the Pacers will trade Oladipo during the upcoming NBA offseason.
“I bet they trade [Victor Oladipo],” an Eastern Conference executive told Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
There are multiple factors that put the Pacers at a disadvantage when it comes to the Oladipo situation. He has yet to show that he’s recovered to pre-injury form and being on an expiring deal — teams would not give up quite as much compensation to pull off the trade.
There is a real risk the Pacers could end up stuck in mediocrity for many years to come. The franchise-building blocks currently appear to consist of Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren, and Myles Turner — aside from Oladipo.
There is still a need for the Pacers to determine who their next head coach will be after moving on from Nate McMillan. Additionally, Indiana must decide if they want to trade one of their centers between Turner and Sabonis — something many experts have believed they should have done for a while now.
The short-term oriented mentality the Pacers have operated with has put them in a tough position. It will be fascinating to see how they try to navigate it when considering the circumstances.
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