The 2020 NBA Playoffs are slated to resume after the league and NBPA reached an agreement.
With the postseason officially back on, the 13 teams remaining in the bubble can begin to bring their attention back to basketball. Unfortunately for the Indiana Pacers, they are not among those as they were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round.
The Pacers have already undergone major changes as they let go of head coach Nate McMillan, a surprising move given how he was able to lead the time to solid records despite injuries to some of their stars.
Victor Oladipo, who opted to play in Orlando, was working his way back from a quad injury and appeared to be close to his old self after taking most of the season to rehab. The star guard is heading into the last year of his contract and with Indiana already financially committed to Domantis Sabonis and Malcom Brogdon, there are whispers he could be moved.
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Los Angeles Lakers could be eyeing him should he become available:
If Oladipo hits the trade block, look for other teams like the Lakers and Nets to pursue him, even without a long-term commitment.
Oladipo would make a ton of sense for the Lakers as he is currently 28 years old and could help carry Los Angeles along with Anthony Davis after LeBron James inevitably retires. His ability to slash to the basket and shoot from outside would be natural complement to Davis and the pairing would keep the purple and gold competitive for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the Lakers would only pull the trigger on a potential deal if they got wind that Giannis Antetokounmpo was not coming to Los Angeles. The reigning MVP is considered the big prize in the summer of 2021, so it is unlikely L.A. would jeopardize their cap space in the mean time.
Frank Vogel believes players would settle on playing again
After the Milwaukee Bucks made the bold choice to sit out their Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic, and other teams followed suit, it was an open question as to whether or not the playoffs would continue.
The Lakers reportedly voted to cancel the rest of the season, but ultimately sided with the majority of players who wanted to play. Despite the uncertainty of the situation, head coach Frank Vogel never seemed to think his team would just walk away.
“Personally, not really,” he expressed. “I felt like it would land in a place where we would resume playing. It did obviously feel like there was a chance that we wouldn’t resume.
“But I felt like ultimately, when it was talked out, the final decision would be to resume. That’s just my personal feeling of where it would land.”
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