Rockets: 3 reasons to be skeptical of the Victor Oladipo trade rumors

#2: The Houston Rockets want Oladipo to stay

Ever since the trade for Oladipo has gone through, the Houston Rockets franchise has reiterated their interest in keeping Victor Oladipo for the long term. GM Rafael Stone has come out stressing the impact that the Rockets believe Oladipo can have on the team in keeping them competitive for years to come.

Rafael Stone on whether Victor Oladipo is a long-term fit in Houston:

"I hope so. We've had a lot of conversations."

"Our talk has been, let's get to know each other. Hopefully this is a wonderful marriage. … Very much hope so, that's what I would say." #Rockets

— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) January 26, 2021

While it is common for a team to support a player publicly even if they internally want to trade him, it seems as if the Rockets are being genuine in their desire to keep Oladipo. It was obvious that there was no guarantee that the Rockets would be competitive after the Harden blockbuster and after that drama the team did not want to trade for another disgruntled star.

@WindhorstESPN also reporting that the Rockets and Oladipo had an understanding they would give it 15-20 games and then reevaluate for both sides.

— Don Knock (@DonKnock) February 1, 2021

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, there is a mutual understanding between the team and Oladipo that they would reevaluate their position after 15-20 games. Currently, Oladipo has played only eight games with the Rockets and that is nowhere near the supposed timeline the team has.

If the Rockets continue to be competitive and Oladipo continues to improve then he can be with the franchise for years to come.

Next: Reason #1