Victor Oladipo is a former star in this league.
He made back-to-back All-Star Games at the ages of 25 and 26, respectively.
That was only two years ago.
During this year’s free agency, he just signed a one-year deal with the Miami Heat for the minimum.
Breaking: Free agent Victor Oladipo agreed to a one-year, minimum deal to stay with the Miami Heat, a source @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/4v4Jg2i8xN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 4, 2021
What happened in such a small period of time?
Injuries are what happened to him.
He can’t seem to catch a break at all now.
Next season is going to most likely start with him on the sideline once again, as he is dealing with recovering from quad surgery.
Signing this contract was an extremely smart move by Oladipo.
The Heat are going to give him a chance and he made the right move on taking that chance.
Take Your Time
Oladipo is only 29 years old and not that far removed from being an All-NBA player.
His injuries have been hindering his career for the last couple of years and it is unfortunate.
He was on a trajectory of making multiple All-Star teams and All-NBA teams.
However, he needs to focus on his health and regaining some of his old form.
This contract is good because he can take his time.
Granted, next season he will hit the market again.
However, Oladipo needs to pay attention to the rehab process first and foremost.
The Heat are going to give him a chance when he is cleared.
His talent is great compared to other role players.
He might have 10 games to prove himself, or even 30.
The key before that is to take his time.
Signing this contract lets him begin that process.
There is no time wondering if a team is going to take a chance on him, or not.
Instead, he is with the Heat organization and can rehab with the team, while trying to regain his former self.
There Were No Other Options
The market for Oladipo was dry to say the least.
Due to the injuries, teams were reluctant on offering him a contract.
It strikes me as odd that we haven’t heard a peep about Victor Oladipo’s free agency. I get that the injury concerns are vast, but the dude was a star in the not too distant past.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) August 1, 2021
His career has taken a significant turn from two years ago.
He was set on getting a max contract when his contract was going to be up.
Now that he is finally a free agent, nobody truly wanted him.
The Heat had him this past season until he was out for the year.
Oladipo had very few options.
The Heat want to give him a real shot at being his old self.
That is why it is smart that Oladipo took the offer.
There was no reason to wait around for a market that was nonexistent.
Instead, he signed with the Heat for the minimum.
He might be worth more, but it is a risk to sign him for more than what he received.
It sucks to see injuries ruin such a young and promising career.
However, that is the reality of Oladipo and his situation.
Oladipo made the right move taking this deal with the Heat and hopefully can get the contract he wants next season.
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