Houston Rockets: 3 pros and cons to trading Victor Oladipo

Houston Rockets trading Victor Oladipo Con #1: They would be giving up on the season

If the Rockets do decide to trade Victor Oladipo they would be signaling to the whole team and fanbase that they’re giving up on the season. All of the good-will built over the past few weeks would be instantly obliterated and in its place would remain a jumbled mess of resentment and what-ifs.

It is often forgotten that NBA players are real human beings. Offloading a player for future picks doesn’t resonate in the locker room in the same way as bringing in a guy to make the team better does.

The simple reason for this is that one move says, I believe in you, and the other says, you weren’t good enough anyway. Oladipo might not be a transformative player but trading him would have serious negative consequences.

The desire and focus it takes to play at an NBA level is immense and the Rockets giving up on the season could send the entire team into a negative spiral. Why play your heart out for a franchise that doesn’t even believe in you?

All of the negativity that surrounded the team as James Harden publicly humiliated his teammates would come back in full force and prove him right. Trading Oladipo might make your long-term prognosis better but in the short term, the team could lose its will to fight.

Since the Harden trade, the team has rallied and proved that this team is, contrary to what Harden believed, good enough to compete. Oladipo has been a part of that and removing him would undo the incredible spirit that this team has built in his absence.

Next: The Verdict