G Victor Oladipo — Indiana Pacers
When healthy, Victor Oladipo is an All-Star level talent, but that has been the problem with him over the years. Oladipo has suffered some significant leg injuries over the years and there are now questions about not just his future in Indiana, but if he has a future moving forward in the NBA.
The start of the season will be crucial for Oladipo as he looks to prove he can still play at a high-level, but after declining to offer him a contract extension last season, the Indiana Pacers may be willing to move on from the 28-year old guard. If this is the case, the Dallas Mavericks need to do everything they can to acquire Oladipo.
Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are two great, All-Star level talents who will have the Mavericks in the playoffs for years to come, but they do not have a reliable, third scoring option. They recently traded for Josh Richardson this offseason to provide great defense and some three-point shooting on the wing, but he is not a reliable third scoring option. However, Victor Oladipo is more than capable of being the third scoring option on the Mavericks if he can stay healthy.
Over the course of his seven-year career, Victor Oladipo has averaged 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and has shot over 40% from the field in every season he has been in the league except last season, granted Oladipo only played in 19 games last year. If he can stay healthy, Oladipo being added to the mix with Luka and Porzingis not only make the Mavs a threat to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but be a threat to make the NBA Finals.
Trading for Oladipo would be a risk Dallas would have to assume, especially given both his and Porzingis’ injury history, but with time to recover and at full strength, the Dallas Mavericks would be one team nobody wants to see in the NBA playoffs.
The biggest thing for the Dallas Mavericks this year is that they do not have reliable scorers outside of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, which is why bringing in Victor Oladipo makes sense. Oladipo will not only open up the floor more for the Mavs current stars, but he is more than capable of leading the team when Luka or Kristaps are out of the game.
The Mavericks are always an aggressive team in the trade market and they should not change their philosophy if Victor Oladipo hits the market. He can help this team in more ways than he could potentially hurt it, which is why the Mavs need to pull the trigger and do everything they can to acquire a talent like Oladipo via trade.
