With Russell Westbrook no longer an option after he retired Wednesday, the Sacramento Kings could turn toward Victor Oladipo as they look for a veteran addition in their backcourt.
“They’ve shown some interest,” Oladipo said of the Kings during an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily. “Time will tell as things are shaping in the NBA and things are getting closer to training camp. I think there’s some interest there, and the feeling is mutual.”
His comments come after he worked out for NBA teams in Las Vegas in July and was a bit emotional in the aftermath:
As for Westbrook, he appeared in 64 games last season for the Kings. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Western Conference team had an offer waiting for the future Hall of Famer, but he instead decided to retire.
While Oladipo hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2022-23 season, his latest comments suggest he does not want to join Westbrook in retirement.
There was a time when the No. 2 overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft was a dominant two-way playmaker. His resume includes two All-Star selections, a steals title, an All-NBA Third Team selection and an All-Defensive First Team nod.
He even finished 13th in MVP voting during the 2017-18 campaign when he was with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a league-best 2.4 steals a night.
However, injuries largely derailed the latter portion of Oladipo’s career.
The Indiana product played 36 games in 2018-19, 19 games in 2019-20, 33 games in 2020-21, eight games in 2021-22 and 42 games in 2022-23 while suiting up for the Pacers, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.
But at just 34 years old, there could still be something left in the tank. And it may be the Kings who find out if that is the case.