NBA Rumors: Heat Could Send Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala & 2025 1st-Rounder To Rockets For Victor Oladipo
Houston Rockets shooting guard Victor Oladipo is one of the players expected to be moved before the 2021 trade deadline. Oladipo may have managed to put up some impressive performances in his first few games as a Rocket, but with the team currently out of the playoff race, most people believe that Houston is better off moving him now than to risk losing him in the 2021 free agency without getting anything in return. Once he officially becomes available on the trading block, several teams that are in dire need of a backcourt boost and additional star power are expected to express strong interest in adding him to their roster, including the Miami Heat.
In a recent article, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report suggested a way on how to fix the league’s most disappointing teams with a trade. For the Heat, Hughes believes that they should strongly consider trading for Oladipo before the 2021 trade deadline. In the proposed trade scenario, Miami would acquire Oladipo from Houston by sending them a package that includes Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala, and a 2025 first-round pick.
Trading a young and promising player in Nunn and a future first-rounder for a potential one-year rental would be a tough decision for the Heat. However, it’s the type of move that they should be willing to make if they want to have a realistic chance of making their second consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals and capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season.
“Oladipo could slot into the first unit alongside either Tyler Herro or Goran Dragic, taking on the tougher defensive matchup and, hopefully, getting into the best shape of his life, which is a thing that tends to happen in Miami. The Heat are shockingly outside the East’s top eight. They’ve had several key players miss time, and perhaps the Finals hangover is still fogging their brains. But it’s concerning that this group is scoring at a bottom-five clip while leading the league in turnover percentage. Oladipo, playing for a contract, could inject new energy into a team that needs it.”
Oladipo would undeniably be a welcome addition to the Heat. He may have gone through plenty of ups and downs in the past two years, but this season he’s already starting to show a glimpse of his old self. If he continues to improve his game and manages to stay away from any major injury, he could form the league’s next “Big Three” with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in Miami.
The potential deal wouldn’t only be beneficial for the Heat, but also for the Rockets. It would enable them to turn Oladipo’s expiring contract into assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process. Nunn could join Christian Wood and form the core of the next title-contending team the Rockets would try to build in Houston, while the future first-rounder would allow them to add another talented prospect to their roster.
