Rumors are running rampant that Victor Oladipo isn’t planning on re-signing with the Pacers next offseason. Here are a couple of trades that I think maybe a little too good to be true.
It comes with every offseason, rumors are thrown around like chest passes to a teammate in a pickup game. No one knows if any of them are actually true until they happen and that’s how I’m approaching the rumors about Oladipo possibly not re-signing with our beloved Indiana Pacers.
However, it is always fun to speculate. I’m not quite sure nothing beats the late-night trade machine trades that end up being outlandish. The other night I had one and these three trades are the culmination of my efforts. If (and I mean IF) Victor wants to leave these could be some trades I’d be okay with, but maybe just a little too good to be true.
Trading for Denver’s young talent
Pacers receive: Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr.
Nuggets receive: Victor Oladipo
I’m a huge MPJ fan so I may be a tad biased here, but if somehow Kevin Pritchard could finesse this trade it would cement him as one of the best executives – if not the best – in franchise history.
Gary Harris could come in and be the starting two-guard helping salvage what Oladipo does at that position. Harris is a very solid defender and still decently young so his offensive game could develop. Harris has also signed an extension so he would be under contract for a couple of years for the Pacers.
The main piece of this trade would be Michael Porter Jr. MPJ has sky-high potential as a scorer and rebounder. We all saw him have a couple of great seed-in games a couple of weeks ago that showcased his potential. Two things are concerning with MPJ which is his defense and back health. The back looked solid this season as he didn’t miss anytime from it this year compared to last season where he missed the entire year. The defense has to improve if he wants to take that next step. Dan Burke could fix that.
The Nuggets could have a few reasons to make this trade happen. If Denver ends up losing in the second round to the Clippers they could be looking to make an upgrade to their starting lineup and Oladipo would be the perfect pairing for Jamal Murray. Denver is also a little hard-pressed for cap space heading into summer 2021, especially depending on what they decide to do with Paul Millsap. Trading Gary Harris and MPJ would open up cap space for that summer since Victor would be a free agent and Denver could make a run at a big-time free agent.
This trade reminds me of a little bit of the trade that brought Oladipo to Indiana but the chances of this happening I think are very slim.
Sactown decides to land a star
Pacers receive: Buddy Hield, Richaun Holmes
Kings receive: Victor Oladipo, TJ Leaf
Buddy Hield’s name has been tossed around in trade rumors on the Internet. If Vic does decide he doesn’t want to resign and force a trade Hield could be a realistic trade target.
Hield has had the two best seasons of his career the past two years developing into a 20 point per game scorer while averaging nearly five rebounds and three assists. Hield and Oladipo do a lot of things similarly on offense but Hield must improve on the defensive side of the basketball if he wants to take the next step in his career.
Hield is 27 years old currently which is a year younger than Oladipo. He would fit into the core we have now age-wise as Myles Turner and Domas Sabonis are both 24 and TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon are 27.
The second piece of this trade, Richaun Holmes, is what gets me excited about this. If you were a fan of Jakar Sampson during the Pacers time in Orlando you would love Richaun Holmes. Holmes is 6’11″and averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds a game while shooting nearly 65 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the charity stripe.
Holmes is a rebounding nightmare. He does average 8 rebounds a game but what pops out at you is the offensive rebounds per game which is slightly below 3 a game. Being able to replace TJ Leaf with a rebounding machine-like Holmes would give Pacers size and rebound in a playoff series for next year where we saw the lack thereof this year.
The Kings could do this trade if they feel like they need a veteran to come in to help out the young guys that play starting level basketball. This could also help with some cap issues the Kings have as they have some heavy contracts on their roster that is tanking their cap. I think this trade has a decent chance of happening.
Toronto adds another backcourt star
Pacers Recieve: Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby
Raptors Recieve: Victor Oladipo
Masai Ujiri has proven the one-year rental can work and this could be his chance at another one. Trading for Victor Oladipo could improve their backcourt and give them another chance at making a run for a title. For this trade to happen the Raptors would have to sign and trade Fred VanVleet as he is a free agent this offseason.
VanVleet could give the Pacers a backcourt scoring option if Oladipo decides to leave. VanVleet is coming off the best season of his career averaging 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game which are all career highs. He shot very well from the floor this season posting an effective field goal percentage of nearly 51 percent. VanVleet would pair great with the bigger Brogdon and make for a formidable backcourt.
This is where this trade enters the land of “too good to be true”. OG Anunoby has developed into quite the NBA player and if you watched him during his time at Indiana you already knew what he was capable of. OG had his best season to date averaging 10 points, 5 rebounds, and nearly 2 assists a game all while playing incredible defense. OG has tremendous upside as a 3 and D player that could possibly start for the Pacers.
This trade would hinge on how much are the Raptors willing to risk on a one year rental of Victor Oladipo. Do the Raptors think Oladipo would be the missing piece to take them to that next level? I’m sure he could be if Oladipo played his way back to All-NBA status. I don’t feel too confident about this particular trade happening.