Raptors rumors: Masai Ujiri needs to chase Victor Oladipo this offseason
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors might’ve turned things around after a comically unlucky start, but the release of Alex Len, a tacit acknowledgement by Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse that they underperformed in the offseason, shows that the Raptors need to make some major adjustments in the summer to return to the NBA’s elite tier.
Given the chaos surrounding the Houston Rockets, former Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo might be willing to ditch Space City and make the trip up north.
The oddsmakers seem to think that Oladipo, who was traded to the Rockets as one of the many moving parts in the James Harden trade, is not going to stick around in Houston. While the Miami Heat stand out as the betting favorites for his services, the Raptors, one of the three teams that the Indianapolis Star reported Oladipo was actively courting during his final full season as a Pacer, have a solid chance at landing him. Ujiri needs to go all-out in an attempt to secure his signature.
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Victor Oladipo could give the Raptors a legitimate two-way star on the perimeter
Oladipo might be coming off of some concerning injuries, but he has looked every bit like the dynamic star on both ends we know he can be. Oladipo is averaging 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season, but he’s upped his scoring average to 27.0 in his two-game stint with the Rockets.
Oladipo is not going to come cheap, as he is looking for, and likely will be offered, a max contract. The Raptors might remain in the Eastern Conference doldrums, constantly making the first round of the playoffs while failing to advance, without Oladipo, but Ujiri throwing caution to the wind and bringing him to Canada would give Toronto the best player they’ve had on the roster since Kawhi Leonard left.
As good a player as Siakam is and as lethal as the likes of VanVleet and Lowry can be from the perimeter, all three of them have proven that they are better off as secondary pieces around a superstar that truly stirs the drink. While Oladipo is nowhere near the level of, say, Kawhi, he blends elite scoring ability at all levels with superb defensive skill, and both of those traits mesh well with what Nurse expects out of his stars.
