The Miami Heat and Victor Oladipo have seemingly struck gold on a partnership that has worked wonders for both sides. Oladipo gets a place to recover from his injuries while the Heat get a cheap guard who can play both sides of the ball.
After their Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks, not only did the Heat advance to the second round but so did Oladipo – for the first time in his NBA career. And what a moment it was.
Victor Oladipo never made it past the first round…until last night pic.twitter.com/DXR7IZNV8K
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) April 27, 2022
However, with Oladipo making the league minimum and the Heat working with very little cap space, the chances that he returns to South Beach next season are slim, according to an anonymous league GM.
Report: Victor Oladipo won’t be with Miami Heat next season
As reported by Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, and written by Ryan Aston, while Oladipo will likely sign another “prove-it” deal next season after missing most of this year with an injury, that deal won’t be with the Heat.
"I mean, he is still looking at a minimum, make-good contract next year. But the more he shows that, the more he moves to a position where he can pick his spot, decide where he is going to get playing time — a team like Sacramento or the Knicks or the Blazers.”It’s not going to be Miami, that has been pretty clear. But a game like [Game 5] is going to stick, it’s going to carry into the summer."
In this statement, the aforementioned anonymous GM is referring to Oladipo’s clutch Game 5 against the Hawks, where he led the injury-plagued Heat to victory and helped them punch their ticket to Round 2.
Oladipo put up 23 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting an efficient 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the three-point line.
The veteran combo guard only ended up playing in eight regular-season games this year, where he averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep.
He’s shown flashes of his old self throughout the year, too, including a 40-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist game in Miami’s final game of the regular season.
Wherever Oladipo ends up, it’s likely to be on a small deal, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to make a big-time impact. Keep an eye out for him in free agency this summer.