From the moment he was moved to the Houston Rockets, rumors have swirled about Victor Oladipo being available as the NBA approached its trade deadline. Despite the fact that no word came in until after the 3 p.m. EST deadline, the Rockets were able to find a suitor for the former All-Star guard.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Miami Heat came up with a package that convinced the Rockets to move Oladipo. In exchange, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Tim MacMahon of ESPN report that the Rockets will get back Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 pick swap.
Houston is trading Victor Oladipo to Miami, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Rockets acquire Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 pick swap from Miami for Victor Oladipo, per source.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 25, 2021
Swap rights include Brooklyn’s pick, per source. https://t.co/75OFnulqjM
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 25, 2021
It’s been a weird year or so for Oladipo, who didn’t get a ton of time to come back from a torn quadriceps before the COVID-19 pandemic made the league press pause. He originally did not want to participate in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, but ultimately played for the Indiana Pacers and didn’t look quite like himself. Even this year, it’s evident he still is not back to where he was at his best, averaging 20.8 points, five rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals for the Pacers and Rockets.
Having said that, this is not a particularly gigantic steep price tag that the Heat had to meet, and Oladipo is a relatively low-risk acquisition. Now, the team has a new running mate on the wing alongside Jimmy Butler, and the hope will assuredly be that being on a team where he does not need to be the man will let Oladipo focus on the things he does best. And as an added twist, Oladipo is slated to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and he has previously turned down an extension offer from the Rockets of two years and $45.2 million.
