Former Pacers star Victor Oladipo traded from OKC Thunder to Houston Rockets
Former Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo has been traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder again.
The first time Oladipo was traded by the Thunder, it was in the famous trade that sent Paul George to OKC while Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis went to the Pacers. That was back in 2017, and that trade worked out brilliantly for Indiana. Oladipo and Sabonis were both two-time All-Stars for the club and fetched great returns in later deals.
Indiana eventually sent Oladipo to the Houston Rockets for Caris LeVert and other draft compensation. Fittingly, the Thunder just traded the 31-year old guard to Houston again. It became official on Tuesday.
Oladipo is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and isn't expected to be available much this season. The Thunder may have cut him out of training camp anyway given their roster crunch, so they sent him to Houston along with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in exchange for two second-round draft picks and Kevin Porter Jr, who was immediately waived by OKC.
Since being dealt away from Indiana, Oladipo has now been traded to the Rockets, then to the Miami Heat, then back to the Thunder, then back to Houston again. Injuries and contract-related reasons have made the former All-NBA guard a common piece to move. Houston is expected to keep Oladipo into the season to keep trade options open, per The Athletic.
Oladipo played in 42 games last season, more than he had in the two seasons prior combined. But his patellar tendon injury is another setback. He's had many injuries during his career. With Indiana, he averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game across three seasons. Indiana has a long trade tree extending down from their Victor Oladipo deal in early 2021, and it could keep growing in future seasons.
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