Victor Oladipo is not ready to be done. The two-time NBA All-Star has taken his comeback bid public, using social media to pitch himself to any team willing to give him a look during free agency.
Oladipo has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2022-23 season with the Miami Heat. A series of leg injuries derailed what was once one of the most exciting careers in the league. He was the Most Improved Player in 2018. He was making the All-Defensive team. He was on the cover of NBA 2K. Then his body betrayed him.
Now he is 34 years old and telling the world he is ready to play. According to reporting, he has been working out privately for months and believes he can contribute to a contender in a smaller role.
The question is who takes the shot. Every year there are veteran guards on minimum deals who help teams. Some of them are named. Some of them come out of nowhere. Oladipo has more history than most of the “out of nowhere” guys, but he has been out of the league long enough that teams have to truly believe the body is right.
His fit is easy to picture. A team with real playoff aspirations that needs bench scoring and defense. Someone like the Sacramento Kings, or Miami if the Heat wanted to bring him back, or one of the several contenders looking to fill out the back end of their roster with a known quantity.
The upside is real. When Oladipo was healthy, he was the kind of player who could take over a stretch of a playoff game. His mid-range shot was elite. His defensive instincts were among the best at his position. Getting even 60 percent of that Victor Oladipo would be a bargain on a minimum contract.
The downside is what happens if the body goes again. But that is what the minimum-deal risk is for. Teams sign veterans to those deals precisely because the cost is low if it does not work out.
His public campaign is going to work on some fan base somewhere. Fans love a comeback story, and general managers pay attention to which players get momentum online. Oladipo made himself unforgettable in his prime. Nobody who watched Indiana Pacers basketball in 2018 has forgotten what he was.
Now the question is whether any front office wants to bet on that memory. Somewhere out there, a team is going to say yes. This story is not over.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
