Twelve years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to get Victor Oladipo.
Instead, they chose to draft Anthony Bennett, who was out of the league after four years.
Now, they can finally get the player they could’ve and should’ve landed.
According to a report by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cavs were in attendance at Oladipo’s workout.
He’s trying to prove that he can still play, and he worked out in front of several teams:
“A source tells cleveland.com that a member of the front office was in attendance for Victor Oladipo’s recent Vegas-based workout. Oladipo, 33, is trying to resuscitate his NBA career, proving to NBA decision-makers that he is healthy and can still be effective. Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert was once a massive Oladipo fan, eager to select the bouncy Indiana star with the first-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft — until David Griffin, assistant general manager at the time, campaigned for UNLV’s Anthony Bennett. The rest is history,” Fedor wrote.
Of course, thinking that Oladipo can be the same player he was in his prime, almost three years after the last time he played in the league, is wishful thinking at best.
Then again, he could be a solid low-risk/high-reward pickup if the price is right.
The Cavs’ salary cap situation may not give them the biggest opportunity to get him, and while the Cavs won the most games in the Eastern Conference last season, he might still rather play for another team.
Oladipo was one of the best two-way players in the game in his prime.
Unfortunately, that prime was short-lived.
Injuries constantly got in the way, and just when it seemed like he was poised for perennial All-Star selections, he fell from grace.
The Cavaliers could certainly use another scoring threat off the bench, and Oladipo always took pride in getting stops against the opposition’s best player as well.
If the money makes sense and he’s truly healthy, this team could do a whole lot worse than to give him a look.
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