Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo has had a pretty irregular 2022-23 season after re-signing with the team last offseason.
The former first-round pick holds a player option worth just under $9.5 million for next season, and one unnamed scout recently said that the veteran would be “crazy” to not pick up that option.
“At best, maybe he would get half a midlevel [$5.6 million] on the open market,” the scout said, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
During the regular season, Oladipo recorded 10.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 39.7 percent shooting from the field and 33.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
He only appeared in a total of 42 games, missing much of the first half of the campaign due to injury. Toward the end of the regular season, his number wasn’t called upon at all by head coach Erik Spoelstra in many games.
Oladipo didn’t appear in Game 1 of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. The spot left open by Tyler Herro’s injury was filled by Duncan Robinson.
Perhaps Game 2 will allow for Oladipo to get some minutes, though one Eastern Conference coach reportedly doesn’t believe that Spoelstra will use the two-time All-Star in Herro’s absence.
The 30-year-old Maryland native seems to be in a bit of a sticky situation when it comes to his player option for next season. He’s undoubtedly unhappy with the inconsistent playing time he’s received throughout the season, but if he were to sign elsewhere, he’d likely have to take a pay cut.
Perhaps Oladipo wants to make big money one last time before searching for a new home in the league. That might motivate him to pick up his option for next season.
On the other hand, he might care more about getting on the court at this point in his career, especially given the fact that he’s made over $115 million during his time in the league.
It’ll be interesting to see exactly what ends up happening this offseason. Oladipo opting into his deal would make it difficult for the Heat to re-sign players like Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, two key rotation pieces this season.
For now, all focus should be on Game 2 of Miami’s series against Milwaukee, which is set to take place on Wednesday night. With the Bucks likely to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, things are looking good for the Heat.
