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Oladipo logged parts of four seasons with the Pacers, from 2017-21, before he was dealt to the Houston Rockets as part of the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.

He averaged 20.6 points on .451/.356/.780 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in just 139 healthy games with Indiana.

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Oladipo hasn't played since the 2022-23 season, which he spent with the Miami Heat. He averaged an encouraging 10.7 points on .397/.330/.747 shooting splits, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals in just 42 games that year.

The 6-foot-4 vet tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during a first-round playoff appearance for the Heat in the summer of 2023, and subsequently was traded twice the next season — first to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and later to the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis cut Oladipo in February 2024. He's been serving as an analyst for ESPN since the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Despite the feel-good vibes of a possible Oladipo return, this would frankly be a bit of a bizarre move.

Oladipo, a former Indiana University standout as well as a two-time All-Star while with the Pacers, may no longer even be an NBA-caliber player after sitting out the past two seasons. His body has been decimated by major injuries, and even when he was healthy with the Miami Heat he struggled to make a sustainable on-court impact.

There are several talented guards who actually played last season who remain unsigned. If the Pacers had the appetite to get into a bidding war for the services of talented restricted free agents like the Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey, the Philadelphia 76ers' Quentin Grimes, or the Brooklyn Nets' Cam Thomas, the team would likely need to facilitate sign-and-trade deals to open up the requisite roster room.

But even among cheaper veteran unrestricted free agents, Indiana could do far better than taking a flier on Oladipo. In fact, another ex-Pacers guard, Malcolm Brogdon, numbers among this group. Brogdon has had his own recent health struggles, albeit nothing to the level of Oladipo's issues. Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II, a very solid on-the-ball defender, remains unsigned.

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Brooklyn Nets guard De'Anthony Melton is also available, although he has been linked to the Warriors (where he started the year before suffering a season-ending ACL tear) as Golden State continues to negotiate with restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga on a new deal.

Wing Amir Coffey, center Chris Boucher, and big man Precious Achiuwa all would be worth a look. Even if Indiana doesn't have much invested in this season with two-time All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton sitting out due to an Achilles tear, the team should still be looking forward to 2026-27 as its next opportunity to realistically attend. Bringing on any of these intriguing free agents on a cheap two-year deal might behoove the team now.

Even former All-Stars like Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons likely have more on-court value than a washed-up Oladipo would. Although neither player should be anywhere near Indiana when it's actually trying to win again (presumably) in 2026-27.

Bringing in Oladipo would be a nice story, yes, but he's not going to be able to help the team win games. Maybe that isn't the point, in what's already shaping up to be a "gap year" season.

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.