Hoops Habit
Fansided

New York Knicks: A trade for Victor Oladipo

By Orestis Rantis

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers attempts to push past Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks during the second half of the game against at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Munoz/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers attempts to push past Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks during the second half of the game against at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Munoz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
New York Knicks
New York Knicks Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

Indiana’s perspective

The Indiana Pacers first acquired Victor Oladipo via trade in 2017, after shipping away one of their own, Paul George, straight to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite trading away a superstar, the Pacers maintained a high level of basketball play, quickly earning the respect of teams around the league. After the trade, they weren’t “yet another team in the East”, which most people had predicted beforehand.

Unfortunately though, Indy has struggled to take that leap from “playoff team” to “contending team”. A solid reason behind that could be the absence of a clear-cut superstar, as we are dealing with a team full of borderline All-Stars.

Related Story. Knicks: 5 realistic options in free agency. light

Victor Oladipo just suffered a major injury. The Pacers still have a number of solid pieces to build around, like Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon. As a result, isn’t it wiser to trade him away while his trade value is still high?

Basketball is a sport heavily influenced by injuries. Sadly, we have experienced many cases of stars get injured and never come back at the level they once were. Having one of those players under an All-Star level contract can really hurt a contender’s chances. On the opposite end, it would make such little difference to a rebuilding team, like the New York Knicks.

Home/New York Knicks