Finding a potential trade target to buy low on could be a great move, for the right asking price, for this new look Chicago Bulls management regime.
The headlines surrounding the Indiana Pacers former All-Star guard Victor Oladipo and what his possible return to stardom could look like won’t stop of late. As Chicago Bulls as well-versed on what Dipo can do when he’s at peak efficiency with the Central Division foe Pacers, his value is widely known in this region of the country.
Could this be a potential trade or free agent target for a team that is still rebuilding, like the Bulls, in the near future?
According to a report from Ian Begley of SNY, contract talks “stalled” between the Pacers and Dipo earlier in the year. His contract is up at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, as he could be a part of that highly coveted 2021 free agent class.
What makes those aforementioned contract talks so difficult between the Pacers and Dipo is how many other standout players also could be locked down in Indiana. The likes of young stud center Myles Turner, first-time All-Star selection Domantas Sabonis, and versatile guard Malcolm Brogdon, could also be key parts of the future in Indiana.
Given that Dipo is coming off such a devastating injury when he ruptured his quad during the 2018-19 season and clearly hasn’t come close to fully recovering yet, his contract situation is going to be difficult for Pacers management to figure out. But this could also mean that other teams can at least see what the price tag would be for a hypothetical trade for Dipo.
The second part of what will make the potential asking price of Dipo from the Pacers lower on the trade block is the fact that he won’t be getting anymore game exposure it seems once the NBA season resumes later this month. According to an ESPN report from earlier in the weekend, the Pacers will be without Dipo once the season resumes as he’ll be resting and rehabbing that lower-body injury from early 2019.
Even when he initially returned earlier in the season for the first time since rupturing his quad last year, Dipo definitely wasn’t at his most effective point. In 13 games played with the Pacers after returning from injury this season (starting in 10 of them), he averaged 13.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks.
Dipo shot 39.1 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to him registering a 50.0 true shooting percentage, -3.0 box plus/minus rating, just .008 win shares per 48 minutes, and 0.1 total win shares.
Clearly the advanced metrics and shooting percentages don’t look good at all for Dipo at this point in time. He also looked much less explosive and agile off the dribble, in transition, and defending quicker players on the perimeter, in his return compared to how he was prior to this lower-body injury.
Could Dipo ever return to form, even with a change of scenery?
That is the real question to ask for any team that would seek out a possible trade package involving him with the Pacers in the near future.
This storyline of figuring out whether a former injured Pacers star can return to form with a change of scenery, or even if they stay in Indy, is all too familiar in the last 15 years. From the former six-time NBA All-Star selection and big man Jermaine O’Neal, all the way to Dipo, the Pacers can’t seem to get their stars away from devastating injuries that derail the peak of their careers.
O’Neal was not the same after an injury riddled run in the mid-to-late 2000’s before the Pacers finally dealt him out in the midst of the 2008-09 season. Then once the Pacers saw Danny Granger rise to stardom in the late 2000’s, but a horrid knee injury that had an impact on the rest of his career drastically changed the fortunes for him in the early 2010’s.
Moreover, the Pacers then saw the unheralded former Fresno State Bulldog Paul George rise to stardom in the early-to-mid 2010’s. While PG is still a bona fide star with the Los Angeles Clippers in this day and age, a knee injury in a Team USA scrimmage hit his stardom with the Pacers really hard. He would then be dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that got the Pacers Dipo and Sabonis.
If Dipo takes to the path that PG has after his devastating knee injury in a Team USA scrimmage, then buying low in a possible trade deal with the Pacers would be a fantastic move. If he takes to the path of Granger or O’Neal, then trading for Dipo now would be an absolute bust.
The Bulls are in a spot where they need to find something that can provide a positive injection of skill and energy into the rotation. They do boast shooting guard Zach LaVine, that could clash with Dipo, but it would also take some of the pressure off each of the standout scorer’s shoulders to be in the same backcourt rotation.
If the Pacers would be willing to take on the money of someone like small forward Otto Porter Jr. (and the Bulls could also take another injury risk with someone like Jeremy Lamb), then there could be tangible between them and the Bulls.