The Indiana Pacers put an end to the Victor Oladipo debacle by getting involved in the four-team NBA blockbuster trade centered around James Harden. Now, Oladipo is a member of the Houston Rockets while Caris LeVert will replace him in his former role with the Pacers.
According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Rockets could still ‘flip’ Victor Oladipo in a future trade because he doesn’t want to play for the Rockets. He still wants to end up with the Miami Heat.
Houston could also still flip Oladipo, who wanted out of Indiana but landed in another place he doesn’t want to be. League sources say Oladipo still hopes to find himself in Miami.
Ever since Oladipo went down with a torn-quad tendon injury, his relationship with the Pacers was poor. Neither side managed to get on the same page and ultimately failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension in two consecutive offseasons.
The Miami Heat do not appear to be in a position to benefit from pursuing a trade for Oladipo given their current roster makeup. Could the Rockets ultimately trade the two-time NBA All-Star to another team that he doesn’t want to actually play for?
Oladipo is far from the only member of the Rockets that could be traded in the near future. It was recently reported that PJ Tucker is drawing interest from numerous contenders and he was also disgruntled with the Rockets organization.
In the short-term, the Houston Rockets will have John Wall and Christian Wood as the centerpieces of their team. They are far from having enough talent to remain competitive but could end up with an intriguing long-term rebuild with the newfound NBA Draft assets they have.
So far this season, Victor Oladipo is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 9 performances. He is looking to rehabilitate his stock ahead of his unrestricted free agency next NBA offseason.
