How Victor Oladipo Trade Impacts Heat, Rockets' Depth Chart, Salary Cap

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The Miami Heat added another impact player to the roster with Thursday's trade of Victor Oladipo.

According to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, the Houston Rockets sent Oladipo to the Heat just ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a pick swap in the draft.

It represents one of the biggest deals of the day as the Heat come one step closer to becoming a contender once again in the Eastern Conference. 

Here is how the deal affected both teams, with salary information courtesy of Spotrac.

Heat Players (Average Salary, Expiration Year)

Bam Adebayo ($32 million, 2026)

Jimmy Butler ($35.2 million, 2023)

Victor Oladipo ($21.3 million, 2021)

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Andre Iguodala ($15 million, 2022)

Trevor Ariza ($12.5 million, 2021)

Nemanja Bjelica ($6.8 million, 2021)

Goran Dragic ($18 million, 2022)

Tyler Herro ($3.8 million, 2023)

Precious Achiuwa ($2.6 million, 2024)

KZ Okpala ($1.4 million, 2022)

Duncan Robinson ($1 million, 2021)

Kendrick Nunn ($1 million, 2021)

Udonis Haslem ($2.6 million, 2021)

Heat Depth Chart

PG: Kendrick Nunn, Goran Dragic

SG: Victor Oladipo, Tyler Herro

SF: Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Andre Iguodala

PF: Bam Adebayo, Trevor Ariza, KZ Okpala

C: Nemanja Bjelica, Precious Achiuwa

The Heat found ways to upgrade the lineup without ruining the cap flexibility the team has been building for years.

For this season, Miami adds another perimeter scorer in Oladipo who can take some pressure off Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. He can create opportunities for himself and others, making the team even tougher to defend.

The additions of Nemanja Bjelica and Trevor Ariza also give Miami veteran contributors like Andre Iguodala, all of which can be trusted in big moments down the stretch.

The biggest question mark comes in the post with Adebayo likely forced to play more center without Kelly Olynyk on the roster, but he should be able to handle the increased responsibility.

Miami will still have the ability to make a big swing in free agency, while re-signing Oladipo remains an option after acquiring his Bird rights. The organization improving this year and keeping options going forward makes this a big win for the Heat.

Rockets Players (Average Salary, Expiration Year)

John Wall ($42.8 million, 2023)

Eric Gordon ($18.9 million, 2024)

Kelly Olynyk ($12.5 million, 2021)

Christian Wood ($13.7 million, 2023)

Dante Exum ($11 million, 2021)

D.J. Augustin ($7 million, 2023)

DJ Wilson ($3 million, 2021)

Danuel House ($3.7 million, 2022)

Avery Bradley ($5.6 million, 2022)

Kevin Porter Jr. ($1.6 million, 2023)

Ben McLemore ($2.2 million, 2021)

Kenyon Martin Jr. ($1.4 million, 2024)

Jae'Sean Tate ($1.5 million, 2023)

David Nwaba ($1.4 million, 2021)

Sterling Brown ($1.7 million, 2021)

Rockets Depth Chart

PG: John Wall, D.J. Augustin

SG: Kevin Porter Jr., Avery Bradley, Sterling Brown

SF: Jae'Sean Tate, Ben McLemore, Kenyon Martin Jr.

PF: Danuel House, David Nwaba, DJ Wilson

C: Christian Wood, Kelly Olynyk

The Rockets are trying to rebuild in the post-James Harden era and the trade deadline didn't necessarily get the team in the right direction.

John Wall will be around for several more years if the Rockets aren't able to trade his contract, while Christian Wood is arguably the only young player who has proved he can be a key part of the future. The rest of the rotation is mostly up for grabs.

Neither Avery Bradley nor Kelly Olynyk will be long-term players in Houston, which means the team should push its younger players onto the court.

Considering the Rockets have just one win since Feb. 4, there is pretty much nothing to lose.

Kevin Porter Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. could be intriguing players on the roster over the next few months.