A Victor Oladipo trade is highly unlikely, but not impossible
The Indiana Pacers, in all likelihood, will be holding onto Victor Oladipo this offseason.
Sure, his impending free agency in the 2021 offseason is cause for anxiety, but Indiana still has plenty of time this offseason to negotiate a contract extension that keeps Oladipo in Indianapolis for years to come. There are players they should consider moving long before him.
At the same time, the situation is complicated. Oladipo has only played 13 real games in the last year-plus due to his injury recovery and the unexpected NBA season suspension. There are no guarantees that Oladipo’s game is at the level it was when he was putting together his second straight All-Star year in 2019-20.
Furthermore, if the Pacers and ‘Dipo can’t agree to an extension this summer, there’s the chance he leaves for greener pastures or a more attractive market with nothing to show for it for Indiana. After losing Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic for nothing last summer, certainly, the Pacers would like to avoid that outcome.
It seems as if Oladipo and the Pacers are a good match. Oladipo spent his college years in the Hoosier State. The city and organization has stood by him throughout his recovery process.
You never quite know, though. The Pacers stood by Paul George following his big injury and subsequent recovery, and we all know how that loyalty turned out for the Pacers.
A trade is a long way out from actually happening, but we can still certainly evaluate some options.
Pippen Ain’t Easy, a Bulls fan blog, put together three trade packages to land Oladipo. Let’s take a look and evaluate each suggested trade.
A Bulls/Victor Oladipo trade that gains Zach LaVine
This first trade nets the Pacers Zach LaVine and Cristiano Felicio while surrendering Victor Oladipo, TJ Leaf, and a protected (lottery) first-round draft pick.
At first glance, I’m a hard no here. TJ Leaf and Cristiano Felicio I’m going to consider relatively negligible. So, in terms of substance, what this speculative deal breaks down to is more like Oladipo and a protected first-round pick for LaVine.
LaVine, on contract through 2022, was nearly an All-Star this year. He’s overcome poor leadership and coaching in the Bulls organization and put together some solid statistical years over the last two seasons.
Averaging 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, he has the same scoring mentality that Oladipo has with a more accurate 3-point shot.
In terms of career ceilings, the two might liken to each other quite well when it’s all said and done. But it’s hard to envision LaVine being much better than Oladipo. Additionally, LaVine is firmly a step or two behind Oladipo at this point in his career. Most might bet on him as an All-Star next season, something Oladipo has already done twice.
Most might suggest he can lead a team to the playoffs next season, another thing Oladipo has already proven.
By the time LaVine checks off “winner” and “All-Star” from his career to-do list, his contract may be coming up on expiration in 2022 as well.
In conclusion, this trade would simply repeat some of the same troubles the Pacers may see with Oladipo with a less matured and polished version of VO. They’d be breaking their loyalty with a star player to not get much further down the line. It’s a huge risk with a likely minimal payout.
Verdict: Pacers shouldn’t do this trade.
A Bulls/Victor Oladipo trade that leaves more questions than answers
This trade surrenders solely Victor Oladipo and nets Tomas Satoransky, Thaddeus Young, and a first-round pick.
It’s a decent haul for Oladipo. It gives the Pacers a lovable former player in Young and a growing guard in Satoransky.
Neither of these players has much more blooming potential, though. Young, a solid defensive player who can hold his own on the offensive end as well, isn’t going to take another major leap, and Satoransky, while growing into his NBA shoes, is already nearly 29 years old.
The first-round pick can placate that issue of not having much ceiling to grow into on this trade, but draft picks are hard to make work in your favor.
This trade leaves a lot of question marks in the air for the Pacers future, more so than would be there if the team simply lets things ride with Oladipo and the remainder of his contract.
Verdict: Pacers shouldn’t consider this trade unless extension talks stall seriously this offseason.
A Bulls/Victor Oladipo trade that is mighty intriguing
This trade has Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo going to Chicago, with a package of Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr., and Wendell Carter Jr. coming to Indiana.
At first glance, I don’t hate it. I have to put aside my “no trading Oladipo” stance to see it in the right light, but it’s not a detestable trade for the Pacers to consider.
Markkanen can stretch the floor and could be a great complement to Domantas Sabonis in the starting unit with Turner on the outbound. While he’s had a down year this season, much of that could potentially be attributed to the way in which Jim Boylen has utilized him.
Otto Porter Jr.’s career has stalled a bit since landing in Chicago. There’s some light there that can be tapped into, it would seem, and perhaps the Pacers can draw it out of him. In the 2018 season, he hit 44.8 percent of his 3-point shots and averaged 14.7 points per game. Again, who knows if it’s a Porter issue or a Bulls issue that his career started trending downward. I’d guess it’s more the Bulls than Porter.
Wendell Carter Jr. is a versatile and athletic 6-9 center that could slide into a myriad of different lineups and have a good impact. With virtually no 3-point shot, it’s tough to envision a world in which he does well playing alongside Sabonis, but perhaps he can make for a decent backup center as Goga Bitadze continues to develop.
While Indiana should try to also squeeze some draft capital out of this, in all likelihood it will be tough for them to do so.
Verdict: The best trade the Bulls can offer. Still, the Pacers should think long and hard before they accept.
Again, it must be said that an Oladipo trade hardly seems beneficial for the Pacers right now. With question marks around the ceiling on the remainder of his career and the brevity of his remaining contract, the Pacers are better off aiming to work out an extension.