Top Landing Spots for Victor Oladipo Following Rockets-Thunder Trade
After weeks spent trying to unload Kevin Porter Jr. following charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault, which he has pleaded not guilty to, the Houston Rockets finally traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first broke the news.
"The Houston Rockets are trading G Kevin Porter Jr., and two future second-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder — who are waiving Porter Jr., immediately," Wojnarowski posted. "Thunder are sending the Rockets Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in the transaction."
In the wake of the deal, speculation has emerged on the future of Oladipo. Guesses have ranged from a welcome back to Houston from a Rockets podcaster, to the possibility of his salary being saved for a midseason trade to the idea of buying him out now.
Regardless of the method of Oladipo's potential departure from Houston, it's clear that his future is currently in flux.
Before it stabilizes, let's take a look at some teams that could use his experience, defense and playmaking off the bench.
Miami Heat
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The Miami Heat are often one of the first teams that come to mind when just about any veteran is bought out.
And even though the Heat salary-dumped Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July, having him on the roster for a veteran minimum's salary would be a lot more palatable (from a team-building perspective) than having him on the $9.5 million player option Houston would presumably buy out in this situation.
Miami, of course, failed to acquire Damian Lillard after a summer of rumors that made that match feel like a foregone conclusion. And now, the depth at point guard appears to begin and end with Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro and Josh Richardson. Two of those players are shooting guards.
Oladipo certainly isn't a pure point either, but his average of 6.7 potential assists didn't lag far behind his 9.6 field-goal attempts per game. And his defense (which has been above average in each of the last three seasons, according to Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus) could be an upgrade over Lowry's and Herro's.
The Heat's tendency to roll through the regular season on cruise control could make sense for Oladipo too. Injuries have derailed the two-time All-Star's career, pushing him to the bench for multiple teams and costing him hundreds of games over the last several years. As he returns from his most recent surgery (a torn meniscus repair from April), the Heat can slow-play his return to the rotation.
Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls are in more immediate need of help at the 1.
Lonzo Ball is set to miss his second straight full campaign recovering from a knee injury, and none of his potential replacements at starting point guard have seized the job this preseason.
Oladipo wouldn't be an obvious choice there either, but he'd at least give Chicago an option and a little more depth at guard.
His career 34.7 three-point percentage is slightly below average, but it should be good enough to make fellow reserves pay attention to him outside.
And on the occasion he might be sharing the floor with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, his more important skills would shine on the other end anyway.
Despite the injuries, Oladipo is still a solid on-ball defender on the perimeter who'll occasionally get into passing lanes.
With LaVine and DeRozan carrying the scoring load, Oladipo could focus in on being a disruptor elsewhere.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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Like the Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers will also be without a guard who's still on the team's cap sheet.
In August, Ricky Rubio announced, "I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health."
And that means the Cavs are in need of some depth at guard.
With All-Star-level talents in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland on the roster, Cleveland's situation isn't as dire as those of Miami and Chicago, but Mitchell and Garland have never been known for stout defense. Add Caris LeVert to the mix, and it's easy to see why the Cavs might want to add some defense to the backcourt.
Of course, Oladipo probably wouldn't have a huge role in this rotation, but that's likely the case anywhere he goes at this point.
If he can make life a little more difficult for opposing guards while relieving his fellow reserves of some defensive pressure in 10-15 minutes per game, that'd be a win.
Staying with the Houston Rockets
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Houston had a pretty obvious goal to age its roster a bit this summer.
The future is still firmly in the hands of Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green, but the offseason additions of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green brought some valuable experience.
And plugging Oladipo into some of the minutes that may have, at one point, been earmarked for Porter would continue with that theme.
The Rockets should have plenty of offensive weapons this season. Another experienced defender to throw at opponents and sharpen the younger players in shootarounds and practices could be an ideal Porter replacement.
