Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

7 Players the Oklahoma City Thunder gave up on too soon

By Elaine Blum

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 15: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers brings the ball up court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 15, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 15: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers brings the ball up court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 15, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Victor Oladipo, OKC Thunder front office mistakes
Victor Oladipo (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) /

2. Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo entered the league with the reputation of being a dog on defense and a talented scorer. When the Thunder traded for him from the Orlando Magic, they hoped to get a young Russell-Westbrook-like star in the making. Oladipo averaged 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals, but his role was rather unclear. It seemed that he did not know whether he was supposed to be a secondary ballhandler or more of a 3-and-D specialist.

No matter what the Thunder imagined Oladipo to be for them, they were disappointed and traded him, along with Domantas Sabonis, to Indiana for Paul George after just one season. Unfortunately, Oladipo never reached his full potential as a star in the NBA because of several serious injuries, but he had his best season as soon as the Thunder gave up on him.

Averaging career-highs all across the board with 23 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals, he made finally met expectations and soon became an All-Star after departing Oklahoma.

By now, due to injuries, his production has fallen off, but he is still a solid rotational player for the Miami Heat. What hurts is that Oladipo reached the All-Star level so soon after the Thunder gave up on him, proving that he could do everything people had expected from him after his college career. Though, to get back Paul George who finished third in MVP voting and eventually landed them a historic haul on the trade market, makes letting Oladipo go palatable.

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