Miami Heat Trade Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City Thunder

Friday was opening day for NBA free agency, as numerous players signed to various teams across the league on deals large and small. This is also often a common time for trades to happen, as teams look to gain flexibility.

As first reported by Shams Charania of the Athletic, the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Victor Oladipo from the Miami Heat. This initially appeared to be a move that would allow Miami to get off of his salary and create a trade exception, as the Thunder could use cap space to absorb him while also being compensated for doing so.

This was confirmed by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported that OKC would be receiving draft compensation for working with Miami.

This will be the Thunder's second time to trade for Oladipo over the course of his career. During his first stint in Oklahoma City, he had a breakout season before being part of the Paul George trade where he really emerged as an All-Star level player with the Indiana Pacers. From there, numerous injuries have de-railed his career.

Last season with the Heat, Oladipo played in 42 games while averaging 10.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per contest. He suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon injury in April and is still recovering.

In what is the final year of his expiring contract, the 31-year-old is due roughly $9.45 million next season. As such, this eats the majority of the $16.6 million in cap space OKC had entering today.

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