With the Cleveland Cavaliers surrounded by rumors in how the front office can further improve their team, one interesting name that has beeb brought up is Victor Oladipo. While the Cavs should be careful with the second apron, the team could be looking for cheaper options as lateral moves with Oladipo being an interesting development.
This was brought up by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor in his latest column where he was asked if the team is done making moves and which position the front office is lookinhg to fill with the 14th roster spot. Fedor would then say that the team was “in attendance” for a workout in Las Vegas that Oladipo had as he looks to revive his NBA career.
“The Cavs will remain opportunistic, always looking for potential improvements,” Fedor wrote. “Does an unforeseen maneuver pop up over the next few months? Hard to predict. A source tells Cleveland.com that a member of the front office was in attendance for Victor Oladipo’s recent Vegas-based workout. Oladipo, 33, is trying to resuscitate his NBA career, proving to NBA decision-makers that he is healthy and can still be effective.”
“Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert was once a massive Oladipo fan, eager to select the bouncy Indiana star with the first-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft — until David Griffin, assistant general manager at the time, campaigned for UNLV’s Anthony Bennett,” Fedor continued. “The rest is history. Could Gilbert get his man more than a decade later? Does Oladipo fit? Whether it’s Oladipo or someone else, the pool of remaining free agents is incredibly shallow.
Cavs could be the next step in Victor Oladipo’s revival in the NBA
David Yeazell-Imagn Images
As Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman inked a new contract extension, it will be up tp him and the rest of the front office to figure out how to improve with their financial limitations. As Fedor mentioned, the team can’t afford to give a player more than the veteran’s minimum, which is usually around $3 million, a deal that Oladipo could probably want since he’s been out of the NBA.
Oladipo last played minutes for the Miami Heat before suffering from a torn patellar tendon in April of 2023 and although he would be traded two more times, he never cameback on the field. Another position that Cleveland could look to is “another versatilie wing” as said by Fedor.
“It’s hard to pinpoint a specific position,” Fedor wrote. “It seems the Cavs are open-minded, searching for the right stylistic fit. Another versatile wing will always be under consideration given coach Kenny Atkinson’s switch-heavy defensive philosophy. Don’t rule out another ballhandler either.”
As Fedor mentioned, another ballhandler could be looked at as besides Darius Garland’s injury and recovery; the injury history of Lonzo Ball and the “readiness” of Craig Porter Jr. are in question. At any rate, the Cavs are looking to further improve after finishing first in the East at 64-18, though they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
