A truly bizarre report popped up on Thursday afternoon. According to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star, Victor Oladipo would say something to the extent of “can I come play with y’all?” to players on other teams, in front of his teammates, with individuals on the Heat, Knicks, and Reports being the team that got this request.
Oladipo had been quiet on this front in the immediate aftermath of the report, but on Friday afternoon, that changed. Oladipo spoke to Shams Charania of The Athletic and stated that this report is not true, and he’d like to stay in Indiana.
“I know there have been people saying that I have asked players to trade for me,” Oladipo said. “That’s just not true, period. I love my teammates, I cherish the state of Indiana and I’m focused on leading this franchise to a title.”
Last season was a weird one for Oladipo, who worked his way back from a quadriceps tear and never fully looked like himself. That was particularly the case in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, which he had originally planned to sit out but reversed course. On the year, Oladipo averaged 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals in 27.8 minutes per game. As an added wrinkle, he is an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.