NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Surrounding Victor Oladipo, Buddy Hield, More

Victor Oladipo's future with the Indiana Pacers should be one of the major storylines of the 2020 NBA offseason.

The 28-year-old will be in the final year of his current contract. Whether he plays out the final year in Indiana remains to be seen.

Jared Weiss of The Athletic reported late last month Oladipo is "looking to move on" from the Pacers this offseason. Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer also reported "there have been rumblings among my own league sources about Oladipo's openness to a trade" since January.

But things might not be so cut and dried. Oladipo told rapper Fat Joe "I'm a Pacer" during a recent interview on Instagram, per Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk. However, the two-time All-Star also said he has a hunger to win, and the Pacers have yet to advance past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in the last five seasons.

Needless to say, the situation appears rather fluid.

Zach Lowe of ESPN reported in February 2020 the Pacers discussed an extension with Oladipo prior to the start of the season, but both sides eventually tabled discussions with the guard still rehabbing from a ruptured quad tendon suffered in January 2019.

It remains to be seen whether the Pacers still have interest in an extension. Oladipo returned to the rotation this past January, but he averaged just 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting less than 40 percent from the field in 19 games. Oladipo saw a slight uptick in scoring (17.8 ppg) during Indiana's four-game sweep at the hands of the Miami Heat, but he still shot below 40 percent for the series.

Will the two sides mutually agree to part ways? Weiss hypothesized the Celtics might try to orchestrate a swap involving Gordon Hayward and draft picks in exchange for Oladipo and possibly Myles Turner, if Boston does indeed choose to shake things up. Meanwhile, O'Connor noted the Heat could be an appealing destination for Oladipo, given he trains and lives in Miami during the offseason.

Both the Celtics and Heat could face challenges in terms of matching salaries. Moreover, the Pacers could decide to run it back with a full season of a healthy Oladipo and a new head coach. Regardless, all options could be on the table.

Teams Preparing Offers For Buddy Hield  

Kevin C. Cox/Associated Press

Buddy Hield is another 2-guard who might be on the move this offseason.

Jason Jones of The Athletic reported Hield has stopped returning calls from head coach Luke Walton. Jones also included some of Hield's recent social media activity, which has involved liking Instagram posts regarding a hypothetical move to Philadelphia to join the 76ers.

Sean Deveney of Forbes reported the Kings have not yet fielded offers for Hield, but teams are already beginning to assemble trade packages to make a run at the former Oklahoma star. 

But it remains to be seen whether suitors are sold on Hield's character, and the Kings might not be intent on trading him. One Eastern Conference general manager told Deveney he felt Hield's negotiating tactics in getting a new extension served as a "red flag." Additionally, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area reported the Kings believe Hield will be "ready for the start of training camp and the season, whenever that might be."

Hield saw a slight decrease in both production and efficiency this past season, though he still averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists on nearly 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The 27-year-old is a legitimate sharpshooter and has shown upside as an offensive playmaker.

The Sixers might be a good fit for the disgruntled shooting guard, if the Kings try to wheel and deal. Philly needs to surround Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid with floor-spacers, and Hield has also shown the ability to create his own shot off the dribble. The question will be how Philly could try to match salaries, and whether the Kings would have interest taking on a big contract such as Tobias Harris or Al Horford.

It seems there will be teams interested in exploring a move for Hield this offseason. But questions regarding his temperament and Sacramento's belief he will be ready for next year seems to indicate no move is imminent.   

DSJ Has Support in New York    

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The Dennis Smith Jr. experiment has been a failure in New York thus far, but Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported the Knicks might be inclined to keep Smith this offseason. 

Begley noted Smith has "significant support" among members of the Knicks organization, adding "there are people with the Knicks [who] would like to see Smith Jr. get a legitimate chance to bounce back" next year.

New York acquired Smith from the Dallas Mavericks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade prior to the 2019 deadline. The former NC State star made Second Team All-Rookie in his first year with the Mavs and was averaging 12.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds prior to being dealt to the Knicks.

But Smith has been unable to sustain the progress he seemed to enjoy in Dallas. The 22-year-old averaged just 5.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 34 games this past season. Smith played under 16 minutes per game, and also shot 34.1 percent from the field while averaging close to four turnovers per 36 minutes.

However, Begley reported Smith attended all of New York's voluntary individual and team workouts, and also noted new Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was a "big fan" of Smith coming out of college.

The Knicks are angling towards retaining Smith, and will hope Thibodeau and his coaching staff can help maximize Smith's talents as they enter a new era.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.