Victor Oladipo’s recent seasons have been characterized by a quadriceps tendon injury that
Oladipo has appeared in just 55 games in the past two seasons. In 2019-20, he scored an average of 14.5 points with a percentage of effective field goals well below the average. Plus, the Pacers were comfortably better off with him from the ground.
Malcolm Brogdon’s signing and the emergence of All-Star Domantas Sabonis could make it difficult for the Pacers to justify Oladipo’s re-signing. This will likely lead them to explore commercial possibilities before it reaches free agency in 2021.
“I bet they trade it,” a former Eastern Conference executive told Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, who suggested the New York Knicks as a potential landing spot.
The corresponding salary in this case is child’s play. Oladipo is expected to make $ 21 million in 2020-21, and New York has a ton of deals pending that could add to that number. What it would likely come down to is the compensation project.
The Knicks have two choices in the first round this year. Given his history of injuries, parting with number 8 could be a little aggressive. At the same time, a weak draft class means that the number 27 may not be enough….
That’d be a bit of a gamble for the Knicks, but if Oladipo reverted to his pre-injury form, he’d give them something they haven’t had since 2000-01: an All-Star guard.