Indiana Pacers star guard Victor Oladipo initially indicated that he planned to opt out of resuming the 2019-20 NBA season at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The All-Star seemed to backtrack when he joined the rest of his team in Florida before taking part in a scrimmage against the Portland Trail Blazers. Now, we’re not 100 percent sure what’s going to happen with the season slated to begin in a week, as he is still on the fence as to if he's going to play or not.
Oladipo on playing when games count: "I don't know. We'll see. I'm assessing every day. Nothing is definite…. I'll see how my body responds today. Hopefully I'll be able to play on Sunday" #PacersBlazers
— J. Michael (@ThisIsJMichael) July 23, 2020
The Pacers currently sit at 39-26 and as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will likely want a final answer from Oladipo at some point soon. Although, there’s a lot more that goes into this than a perceived rift between the veteran wing and his organization.
The guard returned this past January after missing the previous calendar year due to a ruptured quad tendon. He played in 13 games, averaging just 13.8 points on 39 percent shooting, before the season was suspended back on March 11.
There’s been some question about Oladipo’s pay and whether he’d receive it if he did indeed decide to opt out of the season. That has not yet been fully settled.
Within an ear shot of a top-three seed back East, Indiana has a pretty easy go of it during the remainder of the regular season.
Aug. 1: Philadelphia 76ers
Aug. 3: Washington Wizards
Aug. 4: Orlando Magic
Aug. 6: Phoenix Suns
Aug. 8: Los Angeles Lakers
Aug. 10: Miami Heat
Aug. 12: Houston Rockets
Aug. 14: Miami Heat
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