Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Victor Oladipo & F Jeremy Lamb

Indiana Pacers Receive: F Tobias Harris, PHI 2021 1st Round Pick, PHI 2021 2nd Round Pick

While Victor Oladipo has had a strong start to the season, the Indiana Pacers did not offer him a contract extension last year and may not be willing to commit to him long-term given his injury struggles over the years. Oladipo is finally healthy and back on the court after a year and a half long hiatus due to a torn quad tendon and his health moving forward is definitely a yellow flag.

Indiana has lost in the first-round of the playoffs for five consecutive seasons and if things are not looking better near midseason, Oladipo is definitely a guy that is expendable to the Pacers. Not to mention, dumping Jeremy Lamb’s $10M+ contract in the process is a win for the Pacers this year and next. 

With T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner as the three core players for Indiana moving forward, they could definitely be a force in the Eastern Conference, especially if they were to receive a great secondary player like Tobias Harris to throw in the mix as well. 

Last season, Tobias Harris averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 47.1% from the floor, 36.7% from three-point range. Harris is a great guy to be the third or fourth scoring option on a team but struggles to be the primary or second-leading scorer on a team. With the Pacers having Warren and Sabonis as their primary scorers, Harris would be put in a great role to succeed and play the game he is comfortable playing. 

With Oladipo’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, it would be wise for the Pacers to attempt to move him near the trade deadline, especially if they do not believe they want to commit to a long-term contract with him. Let’s take a look at this trade and why it would make sense for both the 76ers and Pacers.