With the NBA trade deadline just around the corner, rumors are heating up around Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo. He’s been one of the lone bright spots on one of the NBA’s worst teams, but could be moved soon.
The Rockets are coming off 113-100 a loss to the Detroit Pistons – their 20th loss in a row. After game, New York Times NBA insider Mark Stein reported that Oladipo is “increasingly regarded as one of the most decorated players to be traded” in the days to come.
Oladipo has been with the Rockets for less than three months since being traded from the Indiana Pacers in January. The two-time All-Star is averaging 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 19 games for Houston.
But while Rockets fans seem happy to get rid of Oladipo while he’s still worth trading, other fanbases are less excited. Fans of some of the contenders for his services are pretty sure he’s not the final piece of a championship puzzle.
Victor Oladipo was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. But he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder after just three seasons and traded again to Indiana in 2017.
It was while he was at Indiana that Oladipo finally started playing to his potential. He made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2018 and 2019, and was named Most Improved Player in 2018.
But injuries have kept Oladipo from continuing to improve over the past few years. Now that he’s healthy, he’s putting up numbers comparable to his All-Star form.
Will Victor Oladipo be traded at the deadline? And who will get him if he is?