Victor Oladipo Trade Rumors: Knicks, Heat Focus of 'Noise' About Potential Move
March 16, 2021
Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo is one of the most prominent players who could be on the move ahead of the NBA's March 25 trade deadline.
The Miami Heat and New York Knicks have emerged as rumored landing spots, which Sam Amick of The Athletic confirmed on The Athletic NBA Show on Tuesday (h/t HoopsHype).
"Regardless how he's playing, you know, there's noise about Miami with him, there's noise about New York, there's more than enough noise for Houston to feel pretty confident that he's not coming back," Amick said.
Oladipo, 28, is averaging 20.3 points on 39.6 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this season. He turned down a two-year, $45.2 million extension from Houston earlier this year, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, as he's "pursuing a longer-term deal."
Oladipo is slated to be a free agent after this season. In late February, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported "some around the league" posited that he could sign with Miami this offseason.
In early March, Marc Berman of the New York Post reported the Knicks are interested in Oladipo as well.
Trading for Oladipo could be a risky proposition for any team, as he could end up being a short-term rental if he decides to head elsewhere in free agency.
He has also struggled since the Indiana Pacers traded him to Houston in the four-team James Harden deal. He's shooting only 38.4 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three-point range as a Rocket.
Oladipo is a two-time All-Star who has dominated on both ends of the court, especially during his time with the Pacers. However, a season-ending ruptured quad tendon forced him to the sidelines for an entire calendar year beginning in January 2019.
He's flashed his old form at times this season, and a return to his prime (23.1 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting and 2.4 steals in 2017-18) isn't out of the realm of possibility on a new team.
In that sense, Oladipo could be worth the gamble if his post-deadline team can work something out long-term.
That team would have a financial advantage in the free-agent market after obtaining Oladipo's Bird rights, a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to go over the salary cap to sign their own players.