[ad_1]
When the Houston Rockets brought in Victor Oladipo following James Harden’s three-team trade, the question was whether Oladipo would stay in Houston for the long term. We still don’t know the answer. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that Oladipo turned down Houston’s two-year, $ 45.2 million extension offer, while making sure he entered as a free agent this summer. without restriction.
Both years, $ 45.2 million was the most the Rockets could offer going into the summer. Once free agency begins, Houston would be eligible to bid Oladipo as high as $ 151 million over four years or $ 195 million over five, per Wojnarowski, while another team would be eligible to bid up to four years. , $ 145 million.
Considering that the Rockets traded Caris LeVert, a strong team-controlled player until 2023, for Oladipo, you’d think they wouldn’t want to lose him for nothing this summer. But that may not be true. Maybe they would prefer that the money just be taken off the books. The Rockets could hit around a $ 20 million cap this summer if they gave up on Oladipo, Dante Exum and PJ Tucker, the latter of whom they could trade before the March 25 deadline for an expiring contract.
If the Rockets decide they want more than to limit the space for Oladipo, they could trade him in the next few weeks and try to get a pick and / or a good young player as well as an expiring salary. They could hang on to it and try to sign and trade this summer, which has recently become a more popular movement than before. Or, again, they could get into a bidding war to keep Oladipo long term.
It’s hard to imagine Oladipo, shooting under 40% from the field and under 30% from 3 in his time with the Rockets, coming close to a max offer from anyone. Despite these offensive struggles, you’ll hear Oladipo’s name a lot as the trade deadline approaches. Paying it long term is a more difficult proposition than a competitor who takes it short term with an expiring contract. He showed flashes of his old self offensively, and he would help anyone on the defensive.
If Oladipo is traded to a playoff team and performs well on a big stage, something in the order of $ 100 million over four years looks like a rough cap in terms of what he could order this summer. – $ 20 million less than the Hornets gave. Gordon Hayward, another former All-Star who never regained his pre-injury form before entering the free market.
Would the Rockets offer that kind of money? It has been reported that Oladipo has long wanted to end up with the Miami Heat, who would be able to generate more than enough room to sign him assuming he doesn’t command a maximum of four years. The Knicks will be getting the money and rumor has it that they are monitoring the status of a number of veteran winners now – CJ McCollum and Zach LaVine in particular – as they have suddenly become a playoff contender under Tom Thibodeau. .
Whatever happens, it’s no surprise that Oladipo turned down the two-year contract on Monday. Whether he’s from Houston or someone else, he’ll almost certainly get a decent long-term offer this summer, when the list of free agents is relatively slim.
[ad_2]
Source link