Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo has exercised his $9.4 million player option for the 2023-24 NBA season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Miami’s Victor Oladipo has exercised his $9.4M option for 2023-24, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2023
Oladipo is set to stay in South Beach after joining the Heat midway through the 2020-21 season. However, he tore his left patellar tendon during Miami’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks in late April and will presumably miss a notable chunk of 2023-24 as a result. Injuries have unfortunately spoiled 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 some welcomed, feisty point-of-attack defense and ball-handling.
His defense fits well with the Heat’s ethos and his shot creation, though up and down, helps complement 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 look to contribute to a Miami squad aiming for its third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance and third Finals trip in five years. With key role players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus set to enter free agency, Oladipo’s status could prove instrumental. It’s comforting to see a guy who’s struggled so much to stay available because of injury secure some guaranteed money as well.