Victor Oladipo will be a member of the hallowed 2021 free agent class, but the market for him in particular may not be too robust at this point.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported in a feature on Monday that many scouts and executives around the league are skeptical about committing to the Indiana Pacers star on a big deal.
“The tricky thing for me with Oladipo is [that] this guy has had a relatively long career and he had one year at an All-NBA level and that’s really the only All-Star-level [year he’s had],” one anonymous Eastern Conference executive was quoted as saying. “Last year, he wasn’t as good before he got hurt. Previous [to Indiana], he wasn’t playing unbelievably, either.”
Oladipo, who recently turned 28, is currently on his third NBA team in seven career seasons. While his 2017-18 campaign (23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals a game) was indeed top-notch, much of the enthusiasm surrounding him was lost when he tore his right quad in Jan. 2019.
The former No. 2 overall pick struggled to regain his form when he returned from the injury this season and later even admitted that he came back at less than full health. While Oladipo still has plenty of time to rebuild his value, the skepticism around the league is understandable until he proves that he can produce at an All-Star level again.
