The Miami Heat haven’t had a spectacular offseason by any means, just yet, but things aren’t done yet. While the whole thing has to continue to shake out based on the earth-moving declaration that was Kevin Durant wanting out of Brooklyn, the Miami Heat lie in wait until the perfect time to pounce into action.
With all of that, they were still able to keep a few guys in the mix after losing P.J. Tucker. Among those returnees, Victor Oladipo initially agreed to a reported one-year deal at $11 million.
However, as the official signing period neared, details of alterations to the deal emerged.
Victor Oladipo's two-year deal with the Miami Heat looks like this:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 9, 2022
2022-23: $8,750,000
2023-24: $9,450,000
The second season is a player option. Both years are fully guaranteed. No incentives.@spotrac
While the initial reaction, the one that should be top and center here, is that they have Oladipo locked in for two years, kind of.
The Miami Heat kept Victor Oladipo on what now is a two-year pact for about $18 million. The deal shows belief in him, while it also gives them flexibility.
With the second year being a player option, Oladipo can opt out to hit the market again.
However, there should be a lot of faith in the situation being that he’s back in Miami in the first place, among the rumors that he was leaving, on a potential two-year situation for now. This is two-fold for the Miami Heat.
It shows Oladipo that they still have all the faith that he can continue to bounce back even more, while they also liked what they saw up until this point. They, literally, gave him the power in the second year.
However, for Miami Heat this season, it gives them several million more dollars cap room under the luxury tax line based on the math. That’s key to their pursuit of more talent as they continue to build out the rest of their roster for the coming season.
The Miami Heat need to be focused on bringing in another impact player, assuredly, but if they can continue to get what they have gotten out of Oladipo, he could provide that star-like impact this season as well.
It’s not hard to imagine when you consider what he did against the Hawks in the playoffs and his former team in the final game of the regular season. Now though, the Miami Heat have to take advantage of the breathing room.