Victor Oladipo was traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Houston Rockets in the same multi-team deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
Initially, the trade seemed like a win-win-win for all parties involved. Houston acquired a solid player to help plug the hole left behind by Harden. Indiana received cash and a promising talent in Caris LeVert. Oladipo landed in a situation where he was welcome, and with an organization more likely to give him the max money he is looking for in the offseason than the Pacers were. Plus, the very first thing he did with the organization seemed to indicate he was excited about the fresh start.
Then reports started emerging regarding Oladipo possibly having his sights set on joining the Miami Heat, who he was previously linked to before the year.
On Sunday, Oladipo bluntly addressed his status with the Rockets going forward.
“If it fits, things work out, if I’m happy,” he said, via Michael Scotto of USA Today. “Essentially, it’s like a business plan. You’ve got to go through every aspect of the business plan before you kind of figure out if you want to invest in it.”
That is about as real as you can keep it. Oladipo plainly acknowledged that while he was definitely open to the idea of remaining in Houston once his current four-year, $85 million deal expires, it will need to make business sense for him.
Yikes. It’s a wrap for Jackie MacMullan.https://t.co/lIFTuBiJtc
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 14, 2021
It’s worth noting – Oladipo probably feels this way because Indiana took such a business-first approach with him. According to Pacers insider Scott Agness, “Oladipo said he had no warning about the trade. He found out about three minutes before it became public.”
That said, as noted by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Oladipo is very excited about the prospect of playing alongside John Wall.
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
“I know he wants to win and it’s the same for me,” he said. “I’m definitely looking forward to the damage we can do.”
The Rockets are currently 4-7 on the year. If the Oladipo-Wall-Christian Wood trifecta can mesh well and go on a run together, it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see Houston throw max cash at Oladipo in an effort to retain him.
If this experiment fails, however, then it’s all but a lock that Oladipo will end up playing elsewhere come next season.
Related: Deshaun Watson’s Preferred Trade Destination Revealed
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.