Victor Oladipo didn’t want to be with the Pacers anymore, so they therefore had no choice but to trade him, wrote J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
And trade him the Pacers did, to the Rockets, for swingman Caris LeVert as a part of Wednesday’s James Harden blockbuster that also involved the Nets and Cavaliers.
“A breakup between the Pacers and Oladipo has been looming for quite some time,” Michael reported. “They’d offered to work out a contract extension with him in 2018 and he declined.”
Now, there has been talk Oladipo doesn’t really want to be with John Wall and the Rockets, either. He instead appears to be angling toward a move to the Heat, where he could team with Jimmy Butler.
That remains something worth watching, as Oladipo’s deal still expires at season’s end, making him eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.
Of course, that’s no longer the Pacers’ issue. They felt like it was time to move on from Oladipo and struck when they had the chance.
More out of Indiana
- Levert is more than qualified to fill the void left by Oladipo, per Michael, citing LeVert’s explosiveness and upside next to point guard Malcolm Brogdon. “LeVert just has to fit in and play hard,” Michael wrote.
- The Pacers are coming off a win at Golden State (as Oladipo watched in street clothes, no less), but their West Coast swing has been paused — as Saturday’s game at Phoenix was postponed, the league announced, via 8 Points 9 Seconds. You can check out all postponements right here on our tracker.
- I talked about how I like the trade from the Pacers’ standpoint on the latest Cavs on the Break podcast. You can give it a listen here.
