Victor Oladipo Rumors: NBA Teams Wonder If Pacers Will Spend to Retain Star SG

The 2020 free agency class is a relatively weak one, especially compared to what we saw last offseason, when players like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler hit the open market.

But the trade market could be vibrant, and one player to watch could be Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, as ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported:

"There is a reason Oladipo's name has been mentioned for months as a possible trade target. Having just one year left on his deal puts the Pacers in position to potentially lose him for nothing—something a small-market team would always prefer to avoid. And the financial landscape of both the league as a whole and the Pacers specifically (with long-term money already committed to Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis) has rival teams wondering if they will be willing to spend to keep Oladipo.

"But any trade talks here will be complicated. Oladipo's play was uneven after returning from injury this year, and given his history, those concerns would transfer to a new team."

There's no doubt teams will have interest in Oladipo if he is available. The question is whether teams will be willing to offer packages based on his 2017-18 season when he was a third-team All-NBA selection after averaging 23.1 points per game, or on the combined 55 games he played in the last two seasons because of a ruptured quadriceps.

During the 2019-20 campaign, he averaged just 14.5 points per game, his lowest tally since his rookie season, while shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three, both career worsts. In Miami's postseason sweep of Indiana, Oladipo averaged 17.8 points per game. He also shot just 30.3 percent from the field and 28 percent from three. 

The 28-year-old has two options then—take the immediate security a long-term extension would provide, even if it's below what he believes his value is, or wait a season and attempt to rebuild his market value. After the 2017-18 season, Oladipo looked like one of the burgeoning perimeter stars in the game. 

Indiana finds itself with a similar dilemma if Oladipo doesn't sign an extension. Trading him in the offseason means he won't be dealt at his peak value. Waiting until the trade deadline means teams probably will lessen their offers even if he looks like a star again, given the fear such a trade could be a very short-term rental. 

The Pacers remain a solid contender in the East, with a talented core group. But what they do with Oladipo and potentially Myles Turner—at some point, Indiana is probably going to have to choose between Turner and Domantas Sabonis at center—this offseason could have major ramifications for the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.