Victor Oladipo Wants Out Of Indiana So Where Might He End Up?
Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo reportedly wants out and that means the all-star needs a new home. Quite a few teams could use a ball handling emerging star, so let's figure out where he might be headed.
Toronto Raptors
34-year-old Kyle Lowry has been a staple for the Raptors organization, but they need to find an eventual replacement. Pascal Siakam is relatively young, so grabbing a talent like Oladipo could set them up for the future. Siakam struggled handling the basketball in their series with Miami and Victor Oladipo is plenty young to soften that workload.
Head coach Nick Nurse just signed an extension that keeps him north of the border long term and giving him a new star would rejuvenate their fan base. Oladipo brings a similar approach to the game that Kyle Lowry had and that should help smooth a hypothetical move into the Toronto offense.
Milwaukee Bucks
The best fit for Victor Oladipo is to take ball handling responsibilities off of Giannis's shoulders. Chris Paul rumors stormed NBA Twitter because CP3 can handle an offense, but Oladipo can serve as a similar asset. Milwaukee puts LeBron-type pressure on Giannis every postseason and that problem is alleviated if they grab Oladipo.
The Greek Freak just met with Bucks ownership to say that he wanted the team to get "creative with the roster." Swinging a trade for Victor Oladipo gives Antetokounmpo his running mate for the next decade.
New Orleans Pelicans
This team might shock some to be on this list, but creating an Oladipo-Ingram-Zion trio could get scary. They have the pieces to swing a deal, especially considering some of the personal moves that have gone on with this team. Lonzo Ball signed with Klutch Sports that usually means a guy is on the go, so replacing him now might be the move.
Jrue Holiday is the likely headliner in a deal to land Oladipo in New Orleans and it's not a crazy move to make. Holiday has shown he can star in his role, but injuries have slowed him a bit. Jrue's 5-year extension gives Indiana a real opportunity to make it work before he gets the chance to dart. Nothing makes small market teams happier than dealing for players they can control.
New York Knicks
We're going to keep throwing New York into the mix until they finally pull the trigger. Victor Oladipo is the perfect personality for Madison Square Garden being an all-around entertainer above anything else. The guy can sing, he can finally give them the ball handler they've craved, and he's marketable.
Helps that the team stunk in 2020 that gives them some additional assets to play with in this circus of a trade. No team should be more desperate to mortgage future picks than the New York Knicks. Count on Tom Thibodeau hounding their front office until they make this push.
Phoenix Suns
What if the Phoenix Suns never needed a point guard at all? Trading for Victor Oladipo could in turn slide Booker into the "James Harden" role in Monty Williams' offense. What Phoenix really lacks is ball handling outside of D-Book and that problem disapears the moment Oladipo arrives.
It's about time the Suns make an addition to this team that comes in at a ripe age to contribute immediately. The bubble Phoenix Suns proved Booker is a superstar and pairing him with an another all-star could get them back to the playoffs.
Every team in the NBA is looking for a ball handling all-star level guard, it's just a matter of who wants it more. The teams on this list are basically the organizations that have the most desperation heading into 2021. We'd imagine the trade packages will get expensive and can't wait to see where he goes.