After once declining whopping $112 million offer, former All-Star Victor Oladipo humbly joined OKC with $9 million deal

Victor Oladipo is all set to start his NBA 2023-24 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his stocks, safe to say, have taken a massive dip.

The former Miami Heat guard, who had an injury-riddled season with the franchise, was traded to OKC during the 2023 NBA free agency. Prior to his latest move that saw his second stint with the franchise, Oladipo left the Indiana Pacers and was traded to the Houston Rockets, followed by the Miami Heat.

After his departure from the team where he saw a meteoric rise in his career, IndyStar reported that the Pacers were, in fact, ready to offer him a four-year, $112 million contract extension at the end of his contract, and that was done keeping in mind his extensive injury history.

The site also added that both parties have discussed the possibility of an $80 million immediate extension that was well within the league's rules.

During his time with the Pacers, he averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. In his single season with the Rockets, he notched up 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 20 games before turning down a two-year, $45.2 million max contract extension, which was the most the team could offer.

He was traded to the Heat for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 draft pick swap. However, his first stint was cut short after four games before going down with a quadriceps injury. He signed a one-year $2.4 million contract, and Indystar reported it as a $110 million hit from the Pacers' original offer.

In 2022, Victor Oladipo re-signed for a two-year, $18 million deal, but suffered another injury in April 2023.

Victor Oladipo's future remains uncertain

The Miami Heat trading Victor Oladipo is pretty much a salary dump move. The Thunder receive draft compensation from the Heat for taking on the guard's $9.5 million contract for the upcoming season.

Oklahoma came into the summer with $16.6 million in salary cap space, and after acquiring Oladipo, they have around $7.1 million left. He played 67 games for the Thunder in his first run with the team in the 2016-17 season before being traded to Indiana with Domantas Sabonis as part of a move that sent Paul George to OKC.

His recent surgery has no timetable for a return and at the time of writing, it is unclear whether his new team will keep him on their roster, especially considering that they have 16 players who have inked standard league contracts.