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Miami Heat shooting guard Victor
Oladipo may reportedly miss the entire 2021-22 NBA season after
Thursday’s surgery on his right quadriceps tendon.
“They haven’t announced it, but
there’s a good chance Oladipo’s gonna miss all of next season,”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Friday’s edition of the Hoop
Collective podcast.
Oladipo, who was acquired by the Heat
in a March trade with the Houston Rockets, will be an unrestricted
free agent this offseason with the conclusion of his four-year, $85
million contract.
The 29-year-old two-time All-Star made
just four appearances with the Heat after the trade. He averaged 19.8
points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 33 games this season across
stints with Miami, Houston and the Indiana Pacers.
Oladipo previously suffered a ruptured
quadriceps tendon in his right knee while a member of the Pacers in
January 2019, and his latest injury to the knee came in an April 9
game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While the Maryland native has enjoyed
stretches of strong play over the past two years, he hasn’t displayed
the same high-end form he did prior to the injury. It’s something he
discussed less than a week before getting hurt against the Lakers.
“I had a lower extremity injury, so I
wasn’t able to use my lower extremity for a long period of time,” Oladipo told reporters. “One leg is stronger than the other. I have
some hypertrophy in one leg than the other. Working my way back and
finding my balance is something I’m still continuing to work at.”
Oladipo ranked ninth among all NBA
players in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus during the 2017-18 season, his last
full campaign before the knee problems.
Another full season on the sideline
would further complicate his effort to return to the league’s upper
echelon and create questions about his upcoming foray into free
agency.
Neither the Heat nor Oladipo have
publicly provided a timetable for his return to action.
