Miami Heat add Victor Oladipo in trade with Houston Rockets
The Miami Heat acquired two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and the right to swap picks in the 2022 NBA draft, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports.
The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal.
The Heat wanted a backcourt upgrade, and short of meeting Toronto’s asking price for Kyle Lowry, who was not moved before Thursday’s trade deadline, they dealt for Oladipo without giving up Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson.
Houston traded for Oladipo in a four-team deal in January that sent James Harden to Brooklyn, Caris LeVert to Indiana and Jarrett Allen to Cleveland.
Oladipo, who is a free agent after this season, turned down Houston’s extension, and the Rockets felt compelled to trade Oladipo before they lost him in free agency. Houston ended up four first-round picks in the deal but never returned the kind of player they wanted in exchange for Harden.
Miami, which has started to play its best basketball of the season after a slow start, gets a two-way player who averaged 21.2 points, five assists and 4.8 rebounds in 21 games for the Rockets this season. He shot just 40.7% from the field and 32% on 3-pointers, but he joins a team with Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo, Robinson and Herro.
Oladipo might not have as many offensive opportunities with Miami, but he will have better ones.
And if Oladipo goes elsewhere in free agency after the season, the Heat didn’t have to give up one of their prized young players.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami Heat add All-Star Victor Oladipo in deal with Rockets
