The Heat traded very little for Victor Oladipo.
In hindsight, it was probably too much.
Though he offered an upside, Oladipo carried significant health concerns. He just hasn’t been the same since his major quad injury with the Pacers. Oladipo hurt his knee four games into his Miami tenure, and now he’s done for the season.
Heat:
UPDATE: Victor Oladipo has decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his right quadriceps tendon. The surgery will take place tomorrow in New York. There is no timetable for his return at this time.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 12, 2021
This really puts a damper on Oladipo’s impending unrestricted free agency. It’s especially disappointing because he reportedly wanted to join Miami. Now, the Heat move on without him and become more likely to go another direction this summer.
Advancing to the playoffs, Miami isn’t facing a shakeup. Oladipo hadn’t really been contributing. When trading for the guard, the Heat had to know they couldn’t depend on him.
Miami would have been better off keeping Kelly Olynyk (and Avery Bradley) – sent to the Rockets in the trade – let alone the first-round swap granted to Houston. But that’s hindsight. For the low cost, betting on Oladipo getting on track was a worthy gamble. It just didn’t pay off.
It’s a little curious the Heat announced Oladipo “decided to” undergo season-ending surgery rather than he “will” undergo season-ending surgery. Maybe that’s just benign word choice. Or maybe the organization wanted to emphasize Oladipo chose this course. This wouldn’t be the first time Oladipo not playing was called into question.