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3 reasons why Victor Oladipo makes sense for the Los Angeles Lakers

By Daniel Preciado

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 08: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 8, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 08: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 8, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Victor Oladipo could be the Los Angeles Lakers’ big acquisition of the offseason.

Three seasons ago, Victor Oladipo developed into one of the league’s up-and-coming superstars by averaging 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Oladipo only played in 13 games this past season after suffering a gruesome rupture of his quadriceps tendon.

In that limited time, Oladipo had quite obviously been stunted in regards to his play as he only shot 39% from the field and averaged just 14.5 points per game with lackluster defense to go along with it.

While there are a lot of marks against him at the moment, there is one logical concept that applies to this situation. Buy low, sell high.

The Los Angeles Lakers, with cap space seemingly freeing up by the day, may have the room to make an Oladipo deal work with the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers no longer possess the assets they need to acquire a megastar considering they traded all of their future picks, swap rights, and young players to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.

This means that the Lakers are likely best suited to acquire someone who is more of a second-rate semi-star. Oladipo perfectly fits that bill.

Simply put, while it would be nice to have another superstar join LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles this season, they don’t need to have one. A base with two of the top five players in the league is quite obviously more than enough considering they did just win the NBA Championship earlier this month.

Going back to the ‘buy low, sell high’ principle with Oladipo, the Lakers likely have the assets to entice an Indiana Pacers front office that is seeing a lot of dysfunction at the moment. Players like Danny Green (to make the contracts work), Kyle Kuzma, and Talen Horton-Tucker could be on the table in talks.

Oladipo is only under contract for one more season and will be a free agent in the class that will be topped by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Lakers will have the necessary cap space in that summer, too, if they wish to pursue Giannis or another superstar to their pre-existing core.

With Indiana’s dysfunction, the Lakers lacking a secondary ball-handler at times, and the rest of the NBA set to improve this upcoming season, rolling the dice makes all the sense in the world.

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