Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo has exercised his $9.4 million player option for the 2023-24 NBA season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Miami’s Victor Oladipo has exercised his $9.4 million option for 2023-24, a source told ESPN.
— Adrien Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2023
Oladipo is expected to stay at South Beach after joining the Heat midway through the 2020-21 season. However, he tore his left patellar tendon in Miami’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks in late April and will likely miss a notable portion of 2023-24 as a result. Injuries unfortunately ruined much of Oladipo’s tenure with the Heat. He played just four regular season games with Miami in 2020-21, eight in 2021-22 and 42 in 2022-23. When healthy, the veteran guard has provided Miami with welcome and spirited offensive point defense and ball handling.
His defense fits well with the Heat’s ethos and his shooting creation, albeit top-down, helps complete their defense-first identity. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals last year. Whenever he returns, he’ll be looking to contribute to a Miami team aiming for its third straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance and third trip to the Finals in five years. With key players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus set to enter free agency, Oladipo’s status could prove key. It’s heartwarming to see a guy who struggled so hard to stay available through injury also get some guaranteed money.