Sports
NBA Rumors: Victor Oladipo Unlikely to Play Much of 2023-24 Season Amid Knee Injury – Bleacher Report
As part of the Kevin Porter Jr. trade from the Houston Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Oladipo is on his way to the Lone Star State. However, most NBA personnel don’t believe the former All-Star will play much of the upcoming campaign due to a knee injury, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer.
Oladipo, 31, spent the majority of the last three seasons playing for the Miami Heat, battling several lengthy injuries in the process. He most recently tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during the team’s first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the postseason.
The Heat traded Oladipo and two-second round picks to the Thunder earlier this offseason.
The injury required Oladipo to undergo his third major surgery in four years, joining a couple of procedures on his quadriceps tendon in his right leg. Just a really unfortunate run of health for the two-time All-Star.
Since being acquired by the Thunder in what would have been his second stint with the organization, Oladipo hadn’t reported to Oklahoma City after the deal went down in July. It was suspected that the Thunder planned to waive him prior to the trade, per Fischer.
Instead, Sam Presti managed to bag two more second-round picks and get Oladipo’s $9.5 million salary off the books.
Now, the Rockets may look to see if they can flip Oladipo for another piece that could improve their roster and playoff hopes.
Fischer reported that Houston has had its eyes on players like Detroit’s Alec Burks, Utah’s Talen Horton-Tucker and Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon.
In 42 games last season, Oladipo averaged 10.7 points per game, three rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals.
