Victor Oladipo denies trade rumors: 'I'm a Pacer, man'

After getting handily swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, rumors emerged that the Indiana Pacers could be in danger of losing Victor Oladipo. Rumors swirled the two-time All-Star was unhappy with the Pacers and wanted to head elsewhere either via trade or free agency. However, those rumors have been flatly by denied by none other than Oladipo himself, who says he is focused on next season rather than uninformed speculation. 

"I'm a Pacer, man," Oladipo said on Instagram Live. "I'm a Pacer, dawg. I'm a Pacer. I can't control the rumors, man. ... All of the ones on the internet, I don't even know where they come from. I'm just in the background, working out, working on my knee, trying to get right for next year."

Since joining Indiana before the 2017-18 season, Oladipo has easily been the team's best player, consistently helping get the Pacers to the playoffs while proving to be a great scorer and playmaker. 

However, he has missed significant time due to injury, and when he is not playing, the ceiling for Indiana looks much lower. This has caused some to wonder if Oladipo will eventually leave the Pacers to play for a team with more talent. With one year left on his current contract, Oladipo could leave after the 2021 season, which would be a brutal loss for the Pacers.

But for now, Pacers fans can rest easy knowing that Oladipo sounds committed to giving his all to Indiana this upcoming season, at least until the next round of rumors start floating around in a few weeks.