One big trade
“One” is the keyword. If you think Rob Pelinka will land Derrick Rose and Victor Oladipo in two separate trades, you should stop dreaming. The Lakers don’t have the assets to land both players.
With that said, one trade is quite sensible.
There’s league-wide concern about whether Victor Oladipo will ever get back to his old self. That’s good news for the Lakers because they don’t have the trade assets to land a player with his skillset under normal circumstances.
Three years ago, during the 2017-2018 season, Oladipo was a two-way terror for the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 23 points per game while shooting 37 percent from deep.
He had the coveted triple-threat ability to connect off the dribble from deep, finish at the rim, and hit the open man off the dribble. On defense, he led the lead the league in steals (2.4 per game) and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
During 2019, he still made the All-Star team, but his production declined across the board. His point totals dipped to 19 points per game, his three-point percentage dropped to 34 percent, and he looked a step slow on defense.
Fast forward to 2020, and his production took another step backward. He averaged 15 points per game off a 32 percent clip from deep, and he looked like a shell of his former self on defense.
It’s been three years since Victor Oladipo played like a top-25 player. Making matters worse, during the 2019-2020 season, the Pacers were better without Oladipo on the floor. Domantas Sabonis morphed into an All-Star center, and T.J. Warren averaged 20 points per game while 40 percent from deep and 54 percent overall, emerging as a possible number one option.
Combine everything that’s transpired over the past three years with the fact that this is the last year of Oladipo’s contract, and you have the perfect trade storm for the Lakers.
Other teams will be interested in Victor Oladipo.
The Milwaukee Bucks could emerge as a suitor, but they’ll probably build a trade package around Eric Bledsoe. It’s not likely the Pacers want to add a player who just signed a $70 million, four-year contract but annually morphs from a middling starting point guard during the regular season to a complete disaster during the playoffs.
Also, if the Pacers do trade Oladipo to the Bucks and he returns to All-Star form and helps Milwaukee beat the Pacers in the playoffs, that’s the type of lopsided deal that could cost a GM their job. Don’t think that Jon Horst, Milwaukee’s GM, isn’t aware of the possible PR nightmare that could ensue during the postseason if he trades Oladipo to an eastern conference rival.
The Miami Heat were interested in Victor Oladipo before the 2020 trade deadline, but their finals run has undoubtedly changed things. There is no way the Heat will include Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, or Tyler Herro in a trade.
Those five players showed they’re a championship-caliber core that Pat Riley, Miami’s GM, would be crazy to deal for a player who’s hasn’t played at a high level in three seasons. Behind those five athletes, the Heat have no real trade assets.
There are very few teams interested in Victor Oladipo that can offer the Pacers an adequate trade package. The Lakers could have the best proposal.
Danny Green’s not what he used to be, but he’s won three titles with three different teams, and his veteran presence could help the Pacers go beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time in what feels like forever.
Kyle Kuzma showed last year that he’s a solid two-way player. He played above-average perimeter defense for the Lakers throughout the postseason, and he’s explosive on offense.
Talen Horton-Tucker could end up being the steal of this deal. The 19-year-old shooting guard flashed true 3-and-D potential during his time on the Lakers junior varsity squad and throughout his brief stint with the big boys. At 6’4″, 234 pounds, Horton-Tucker has the prototypical size to be a lockdown defender in the NBA, and his outside stroke is clean.
If Oladipo gets back to 80 percent of the player he was during 2017, his last healthy campaign, he’d instantly become the Lakers’ third-best player. If he goes beyond that 80 percent and regains his NBA All-Defense footwork and his burst to the rim, it’s hard to imagine any team beating the Lakers four games out of seven in the playoffs.