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The Miami Heat traded to Victor Oladipo on last week’s trade deadline, but did not commit to signing him for an extension. So the rest of this season is tantamount to a try for Oladipo – the Heat can see if Oladipo can return to his All-NBA form in the 2017-18 season.
At the start of 2019, the former No. 2 choice in the general classification broke his quad tendon. Since his return at the end of January 2020, Oladipo no longer looks quite the same.
Whether the arrival of Victor Oladipo signals the next iteration of the Heat, Pat Riley says, “It will come this summer, most likely, or fall.” But adds: “That’s the next thing.” Said winning is what keeps you the same.
– Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) March 26, 2021
Oladipo certainly has incentives to play at his highest level. He’s an impending free agent, so his performance the rest of the season will determine the contract offers he receives. And he always wanted to be in Miami. Oladipo, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo could form a formidable Big Three – the one who leads with their defense.
In a recent column, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said if the Oladipo experiment didn’t work, the Heat could go back to Kyle Lowry. While the Adebayo extension prevented Miami from having a cap this offseason, they could still create space to sign Lowry to a final contract before he retires.
But O’Connor also mentioned Kawhi Leonard and Bradley Beal. Leonard’s Miami speculation stems from a 2019 Marc Stein report that Leonard first recruited Butler to join him on the Los Angeles Clippers. Now, did Leonard just contact Butler because he was also a free agent at the time? Paul George was still under contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Or did Leonard really want to play with Butler?
Kawhi in Miami next summer?
“The Heat kept the money on hand in case Kawhi retired this summer to Los Angeles. He wanted to play with Jimmy Butler for the first time and settled down for Paul George. This universe exists.” – @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/zmHzzosZKV
– First of all (@ FTFonFS1) March 26, 2021
O’Connor called it “highly unlikely” that Leonard would leave the Clippers, and I agree. Only a monumental playoff collapse similar to the 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets would lead him to consider leaving.
The Ringer NBA writer calls Beal “a more realistic target” for Miami. Beal has still not indicated that he would like to leave the Washington Wizards. The Heat (and all the other teams) are hoping Beal is like, “I’m 27 now. Do I want to spend the rest of my bounty in Washington, a franchise that hasn’t made it past the second round since 1979? ”
The Heat trade of their 2023 first-round pick, which belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, makes a trade for Beal more difficult. But if Oladipo plays at his 2018 level, the Heat will give him an extension and move forward with him, Butler and Adebayo as the cornerstones of their franchise. Miami has kept its flexibility to keep its options open.
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