Whether or not Victor Oladipo will return to play with the Miami Heat this season has remained a mystery, but after three weeks of radio silence, head coach Erik Spoelstra finally gave an update on the two-time All-Star’s status.
After it was revealed that Oladipo wouldn’t be traveling with the team for this weekend’s games in Cleveland and Charlotte, South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman once again asked Coach Spo about the 28-year-old guard’s future with the team. Oladipo hasn’t played since April 8, nor has he traveled with the team since Miami first acquired him on March 25.
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“I can say he is making progress,” Spoelstra said on April 30. While it’s not much of an update, it’s a positive one. While Miami remains tight-lipped on Oladipo’s probability of getting back in the game for the team’s playoff run, other NBA analysts have spoken out.
While ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said expects Oladipo to return this season, Spoelstra “declines to specify whether Victor Oladipo has been doing work behind the scenes or whether he expects Oladipo to return,” Winderman tweeted on April 25.
Five Reasons Sports Network also shared a positive update on Oladipo. The outlet tweeted on April 18, “No new injury showed up on MRI. tied to old quad injury. It’s up to him, depending on pain tolerance and precautions.”
Heat Nation reported the same day that “the Miami Heat are hopeful that Victor Oladipo will return after he suffered a knee injury” but “there is currently no timetable for his return.”
Bleacher Report Predicts Oladipo Will Land in Boston
GettyVictor Oladipo #7 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against Eric Bledsoe #5 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on January 30, 2021.
Because Oladipo is too injury-prone to be a dependable starter, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he’s no longer in South Beach come next season.
Bleacher Report predicts that Oladipo, who becomes a free agent over the summer, might land with the Boston Celtics. While Oladipo has expressed his desire to stay in Miami for years to come, after the 28-year-old guard was indefinitely sidelined from a non-contact injury on April 8, his dream of obtaining a max contract offer this summer was dashed.
“Buying low on Oladipo, putting him in Brad Stevens’ system and helping him play to his strengths might be just the low-risk, high-reward gamble the Celtics need to recharge their hopes of future contention,” Bleacher Report’s Mandela Namaste wrote.
However, there’s still a chance Oladipo returns to play with the Heat before the season ends. On April 18, before Miami took on the Brooklyn Nets, Oladipo was spotted in workout gear on the sidelines, prompting new hope he will soon be back in action.
There’s also a chance Miami keeps Oladipo next season, as they can retain for cheap. Before taking an awkward fall, Oladipo, who turns 29 in May, put on a great performance. He scored 18 points, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a blocked shot.
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Miami Heat’s Head Coach Breaks Silence on 2x All-Star’s Injury