After being swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, rumors have started to swirl around Victor Oladipo and his future with the Indiana Pacers . Though the 2019-20 season isn’t yet over, there is already speculation that the Pacers will consider trading the veteran shooting guard this fall. Once he becomes officially available on the trade market, several teams that are in dire need of a backcourt boost and additional star power are expected to express a strong interest in acquiring Oladipo, including the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a recent article, Jason Reed of Fansided’s Lake Show Life suggested a way for the Lakers to get Oladipo from the Pacers in the 2020 offseason. In the proposed trade scenario, the Lakers would be sending a package that includes Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and a 2020 first-round pick to Indiana in exchange for Oladipo. If the deal becomes a reality, Reed believes it would help both teams meet their respective needs and improve their rosters.
“If the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers were going to do a two-team swap for Victor Oladipo then this would probably be the offer that the Pacers would receive and would be the highest the Lakers could really go. You could make the case of throwing Talen Horton-Tucker in the deal, but the Lakers seem to really like THT. Now, this might seem like a low price for Oladipo and it admittedly is. However, we also have to realize that Oladipo is coming off an injury where he did not look like the same Oladpio this season. Plus, the Pacers are only trading one year of Oladipo.”
With their need for another shot creator and playmaker, giving up Kuzma, Green, and a 2020 first-rounder for Oladipo would make a lot of sense for the Lakers. He may have spent the past two years dealing with various injuries, but when he’s healthy, he could boost the Lakers’ performance on both ends of the floor.
Aside from being a prolific scorer, Oladipo is also a great perimeter defender and facilitator. Once he returns to 100 percent health and regains his All-Star form, he could create the new Lakers’ “Big Three” with LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season.
Meanwhile, if the Pacers don’t have any plan of giving him a huge payday, trading Oladipo to Los Angeles this fall is a no-brainer for the team. Instead of losing him in the 2021 free agency without getting anything in return, the Pacers would be turning his expiring contract into a veteran sharpshooter with championship experience in Green, a young and promising forward in Kuzma, and a first-rounder.