Victor Oladipo seemingly forced his way away from the Indiana Pacers in search of a bigger market down the road. His trade to the Houston Rockets eventually led him to the Miami Heat with a chance to compete for an NBA Championship.
Injuries slowed him down in Indiana after a promising start to his tenure. When he returned from his brutal leg injury, Oladipo set his sights on getting healthy enough to chase a massive contract from a contender in free agency.
Will Victor Oladipo ever be the same after leaving the Indiana Pacers?
The early days of Oladipo in Indy provided some incredible memories and he proved himself as a leader on the court. His late-game heroics and flashy highlights at the rim were not too uncommon. He also helped lead the Pacers to a Game 7 battle with LeBron James and the Cavaliers that they inevitably dropped.
The Pacers acquired Oladipo as part of another big trade four years ago that shipped Paul George out of Indiana in hopes for bigger dreams of his own. Oladipo was packaged to Indiana with current two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in what was, at one point, an absolute steal of a return.
However, Oladipo suffered a season-ending injury back in 2019. That ruptured quadriceps tendon turned a bright future into a scary one for the Pacers as they were left without their best player down the final stretch of the season and into the next.
After earning All-NBA honors in 2018, Oladipo knew that he was capable of being a very good player in the NBA, and Pacers fans were all in. Losing Paul George, who did not want to be in Indy anymore, for a player like Oladipo who claimed Indianapolis as his own city was a massive win.
Since that season, however, Oladipo has not played in more than 36 games in one season. He played in just 36 games before his injury in 2019 and was not cleared until late in the 2019-20 season in which he opted to sit out of the bubble once he did return. Victor appeared in just 19 games that season.
Last season, Oladipo appeared in 33 games but with three different teams. After his trade out of Indiana, Oladipo played 20 games with the Rockets and just four with the Heat before suffering another season-ending injury.
Pacers fans are all too familiar with injuries derailing seasons or careers and Oladipo is just another shred of evidence. Oladipo has not been the same player since his injury but will he ever get back to his former self?
The answer is probably not. His shooting percentages have dropped consistently since the injury and his time after Indiana has been pretty disappointing. He shot just 32 percent from deep with the Rockets and 23.5 percent with the Heat before shutting it down for the 2020-21 season.
In that same span, turnovers have become a crutch for Oladipo. He averaged 2.6 per game with Houston and 3.5 with Miami, a career-high for giveaways. Things have gone downhill for Vic in a hurry.
While I love Vic and his time in Indiana was special while it lasted, his best days are behind him. His battle with injuries is unfortunate but it also proves that trading him before he earned a big payday was the best move for the Pacers. Hopefully, he can earn a big contract before his playing days are over but that may not be anytime soon.
This summer is going to be an interesting one for Oladipo as he hits the free-agent market. His play when healthy is deserving of a sizeable contract but that health concern is very real. Will he accept a cheaper deal for a chance to prove himself on a contender or will he chase a big deal from a team with cap space?