OKC Thunder: Supporters have yet to bear witness to a training camp injury.
It looks like the Thunder have made one of many decisions they needed to make before the season began.
With General Manager Sam Presti announcing that Victor Oladipo will not report to training camp, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s roster situation has become more clear. Oladipo was acquired by the Thunder in July from the Miami Heat along with two second-round picks; however, it doesn’t seem like Oladipo will play for the Thunder again.
Chatsworth and Alijah Arenas compete in the 2024 CIF State Division 4 championship game.
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It is now up to the Thunder what they will do with Oladipo. In the first round of the playoffs the previous year, the 10-year veteran had an injury that ended his season against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Presti stated, “He will return this season at some point.” “But we can’t prioritize that given our roster situation.”
Any deal involving Oladipo would be unlikely to result in a player being returned because the Thunder will still need to reduce their roster to 15 standard contracts. However, if the Thunder signed a player, it would probably be someone they could easily trade or release in order to make room for another player.
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To avoid paying a dead salary, Oklahoma City might make a determined effort to arrange a trade for Oladipo. Oladipo won’t fit in at Oklahoma City, but he can still be a valuable asset to a different team.
Oladipo averaged career-low 10.7 points on 39.7% shooting during the previous season. Due to injury struggles all season long, Oladipo only participated in 42 games, averaging 26.3 minutes per game.
Oladipo demonstrated he was a trustworthy defender in spite of the difficulties by averaging 1.4 steals per game. In addition, he had his best season since his rookie year in Indiana, shooting 47.1% from behind the arc.
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Due to his history of injuries, any team that trades for the 31-year-old guard will likely be hesitant to make a high offer. To the Thunder, though, placing Oladipo in a position where he can succeed might be more crucial than a strong return.
This might be another instance of Presti and the Thunder upholding their reputation of treating their players fairly. If both parties end up with what they wanted in the end, the Thunder might be prepared to sacrifice collecting more assets, considering they already obtained two second-round picks from the Heat in the Oladipo trade.
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