Victor Oladipo, Houston Rockets. (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
The Houston Rockets are going nowhere fast and shooting guard Victor Oladipo wants out, possibly to the Miami Heat.
No team in the NBA is playing worse than the Houston Rockets these days. Shooting guard Victor Oladipo knows this and might want out, possibly to the Miami Heat before he hits free agency.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst gave us a little nugget about where Oladipo’s head could be at right now.
“I don’t think it’s any secret in the league Victor Oladipo has a desire to play in Miami,” said Windhorst. “He’d like to go there in free agency. They’re going to have cap space, so that may happen.”
Victor Oladipo should go to the Miami Heat in free agency, not via trade
Even though the Rockets have lost a league-worst 12 games in a row, Oladipo should not force his way out of town, if that is the way he wants to exit Houston. Despite being traded there in the multi-team blockbuster that saw James Harden go to the Brooklyn Nets, it serves Oladipo to wait until free agency before he takes his talents to South Beach. He would only be hurting the Heat.
For Miami to get an All-Star-caliber player in Oladipo, the Heat will have to give up a few assets to land him in a Houston trade. While a trade for Oladipo would not be as debilitating as Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks, Miami would have to give up a piece or two from its corps, as well as draft compensation, to pull this off. Forcing a trade out of town is never the right idea.
Oladipo can play for the Heat in 2021, but he should wait until the latter part of the calendar year.