Houston Rockets star Victor Oladipo addressed his reported two-year, $45.2 million contract offer from the team, saying the Rockets viewed the offer as a gesture of good faith.
Following the team’s 101-90 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, Oladipo said the Rockets didn’t expect him to agree to the deal but that the effort was to show how they valued him:
ESPN broke news of the deal Sunday and noted it was the most the team could put on the table before the conclusion of the regular season.
A max offer for the two-time All-Star can rise to four years and $113 million prior to free agency. Once he’s on the market, he could sign a four-year, $151 million or five-year, $195 million pact with Houston.
Oladipo’s performance with the Rockets and Indiana Pacers this season hasn’t matched the level he reached when he looked like one of the league’s most dynamic 2-guards. Through 23 games, he is averaging 19.4 points, 4.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game but is shooting 40.1 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Still, the 2021 free-agent class won’t be very deep, especially in the event Kawhi Leonard signs an extension with the Los Angeles Clippers. Even if he doesn’t land a max contract, Oladipo should get a better deal than a two-year commitment that averages $22.6 million.
While the Rockets may have indicated to the 28-year-old they’d like to keep him around, Houston could also trade him before the March 25 deadline.