Indiana Pacers: 4 impacts if Victor Oladipo doesn’t come to Orlando

Pacers impacts of Victor Oladipo sitting: Victor Oladipo’s contract timeline

Somewhat baked into the issue of the timeline of the team, in general, is Victor Oladipo’s impending contract renewal. Currently slated to become a free agent in the 2021 offseason, Oladipo playing this offseason would be huge for the Pacers.

Indiana offered Oladipo an extension before this season that was extremely low, perhaps a signal of their desire to work out a deal before he hits the open market.

Oladipo playing this summer would allow them to see where he’s at in relation to the league’s best talent. Can he still lead a playoff team following his injury? Or is there rust to be worked off?

Surely, the answer could be that Oladipo is not ready and that signing him to a massive, several-year deal would be ill-advised at this point. At least if the Pacers were able to confirm that with real basketball action, they’d be confident in that decision.

If, instead, Oladipo doesn’t play, even the “smart” decision to let his 2021 season play out with no offered contract extension might look a bit silly. Oladipo could surely come back next season with yet another All-Star season, and sign with a team in free agency, leaving the Pacers behind for nothing.