Rockets: 3 potential trades for Victor Oladipo

2. Houston Rockets deal Oladipo to South Beach

Shortly after James Harden expressed his desire to leave Houston, the Miami Heat floated the idea of bringing the Beard to South Beach. However, the deal between the two never materialized, and reports indicate that talks broke down, in large part, because the Heat were unwilling to part with second-year guard Tyler Herro.

Those were different times though; a time before the gleam of Herro’s stellar playoff run as a rookie had worn off, and before the Heat had been plagued by injuries and COVID protocols, leading them to a disappointing start to the season.

If the Heat want to improve at the trade deadline, they may need to part with Herro. After all, based on previous trades and pick protections, they are only able to trade their 2027 first-round pick.

And if Miami is willing to move on from Herro, who better to pursue than Oladipo, a player who has been reportedly trying to get to Miami for the past year?

When looking at other potential Oladipo trades, the concern for the receiving team would be whether or not he would resign in the coming offseason. However, in the case of Miami, if reporting is to believed, retaining Oladipo would be an almost certainty.

What could put this deal over the top though, would be the addition of P.J. Tucker.

Since the Heat’s improbable Finals run last year, much has been made of “Heat culture”, and looking around the league, there is perhaps no one who embodies that philosophy more than Tucker. He is gritty, relentless, and provides veteran leadership that would be invaluable to Miami in the playoffs.

Next: No. 1