NBA Rumors: Dunk May Have Cost Oladipo Chance At Big Money This Offseason

When the Miami Heat took Victor Oladipo in, most knew there were risks, and his injury history raised questions on whether the 28-year-old deserved a max deal. For several games, all appeared perfect for the South Beach squad. That was until he made a rare slam dunk and went down visibly clutching his knee.

It appears that Oladipo has been hit by the injury bug again and will have to be sidelined. According to an official update from the Miami Heat Twitter account, the two-time All-Star will miss a four-game road trip, with Oladipo set to be re-evaluated.

The second overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft suffered the injury in his fourth game in a Heat uniform. He had 18 points, four rebounds and three steals in that win by the Heat over the Los Angeles Lakers.

While there is still a chance for Oladipo to return soon, the injury raises questions about his fate. The Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman reported that “it is increasingly unlikely that Victor will get anything near a maximum deal this summer, in terms or annual dollars or even years, from the Heat or elsewhere.”

The veteran guard is in the last year of his deal and is due $21 million for the current NBA season. This is part of the $85 million deal he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2016-17 season. However, a big question mark there was the injuries he started to incur.

Oladipo is coming off a knee injury he sustained while he was with the Indiana Pacers. He suffered a ruptured quad tendon that ruled him out for the 2018-19 season.

He returned after 371 days with the Pacers and showed signs of his old self. He appeared to be back on track before that dunk that left him visibly favoring his knee afterward.

The veteran guard is undoubtedly happy with the Heat and appears to want to stay. But it may all boil down to the money that Miami will offer. With his durability still questionable, it will be interesting to see if Oladipo will accept a deal that is most likely not going to be a max contract.

For now, there is no telling when Oladipo will return. Hence, head coach Erik Spoelstra may need to turn to his old reliable players to fill up the void. That list includes Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson. As mentioned in a previous report, this could be the chance that Herro is waiting for in order to get his starting role back.