Should the Denver Nuggets pursue Victor Oladipo in a trade this offseason?
If the Denver Nuggets are looking for ways upgrade their roster with a trade, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is reportedly “looking to move on” this offseason. This report comes from Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who mentions Oladipo as a potential target for the Boston Celtics.
"Indiana is still home for the Haywards, and with Victor Oladipo looking to move on this offseason, according to sources, and Myles Turner possibly in the same boat, there could be an opportunity for Ainge to move Hayward and the abundance of draft picks in his war chest in a mutually agreeable way."
Though Oladipo isn’t the player he was before rupturing his quad in 2018, landing a player of his caliber can move teams from being cute playoff threats to legitimate NBA Finals contenders. The two-time All-Star led Indiana to the playoffs twice in his three seasons with the Pacers, being eliminated in the first round in both postseasons.
In his first All-Star season, Oladipo averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 47.7% from the field and 37.1% from 3-point range.
However, thanks to injuries, the numbers that Oladipo is now averaging are drastically different.
After coming back to action in February this season, Oladipo averaged 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 39.4% from the field and 31.7% from 3-point range. Obviously, Indiana wished for more out of Oladipo, but they weren’t expecting this massive of a drop-off in production from their franchise star.
With Oladipo’s name now on the trade market, a plethora of teams will have interest in trading for the former All-Star as adding him elevates any roster, even if he’s not playing at the level he was prior to his quad injury. That said, Denver should push to acquire Oladipo, given his dynamic two-way ability and scoring spark.
Oladipo would, at the very least, be a cheaper alternative (a ‘poor man’s’ alternative, if you will) to Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal, whom The Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla considered to be the team’s perfect trade target as recently as last year. In addition, Oladipo would fit easily into the starting lineup.
In this acquisition, Denver upgrades their secondary guard position while Gary Harris returns home to Indiana. Harris, who’s only 26-years-old, can revive his career in Indiana as Oladipo did in 2017.
The Pacers also get Bates-Diop and a first round pick after not owning one for the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. For a team whose future is unclear as the Pacers’ is right now, acquiring draft picks always sweetens the deal.
This is particularly true in this upcoming draft, as the mid- to late first round has a number of players who can be steals for their teams.
While the Nuggets were relieved when Harris returned to the floor in Game 5 against Utah as he provided stellar on- and off-ball defense, Harris doesn’t seem like the long-term answer for Denver at shooting guard.
The Nuggets are just one piece away from hoisting up the Larry O’Brien trophy, and having Oladipo as a third-option is as sweet as it sounds because it can boost the Nuggets’ production on both ends of the floor.
Denver doesn’t need to expect too much out of Oladipo (who played 27.8 minutes per game after returning from injury), which can relieve and motivate him to play at the level he did in 2017-18.
I hope this trade can be finalized in the upcoming couple of months, as it would make the Nuggets’ a scarier Western Conference playoff team next season.