Could Victor Oladipo be a Value Free Agency Target for Wizards?

As the NBA Playoffs inch closer to crowing an NBA Champion, most teams around the league are solely focused on the upcoming offseason. The Washington Wizards are among those teams and have many unanswered questions that need to be sorted out.

If they continue focusing on a Bradley Beal-centered team, the only way to achieve big things is by hitting big on high upside additions. That’s where a guy like Victor Oladipo becomes a talent worth considering.

He’s not the player he once was and his situation and role with the Miami Heat have made evaluating him properly very difficult. He is still talented, though, and possesses a number of very important skills on the court. Skills the Wizards will need a lot more of if they plan on taking part in next year’s playoffs.

Over the course of the last two NBA seasons, the former fourth overall pick has played in just 17 total games. With the Heat this year he made an appearance in eight regular-season games, one as a starter. He has already surpassed that total in the NBA playoffs.

Could he be the exact player that helps the Wizards make up for their current roster flaws? At the right price, should he be a highly valued target for the Wizards front office? At the very least the team should do their due diligence.

Victor Oladipo would Bring Much needed Tools to Wizards Roster

While he is struggling from behind the arc in the playoffs so far, Oladipo has enough of a career sample size to believe he will at least be at least an average shooter when he gets some sort of consistency with a team. He’s hit on 34.8 percent of his career attempts.

More importantly, is the versatility Oladipo brings to the court. On offense, he can fill a number of roles and play alongside many different players. While he shouldn’t be asked to run the offense by himself, he is more than capable of being a primary facilitator in different line-ups for stretches throughout a game. In a group with someone like Kyle Kuzma who can also make plays for others would be interesting while Beal could get his breaks.

The best part of Oladipo joining the Wizards would be on the defensive end, though. He has always been a good defender and has shown recently he is still capable of being exactly that. He can guard multiple positions on the court and is able to apply ball pressure the Wizards haven’t gotten in years.

Improved versatility and ball pressure on defense would be a starting point for the Wizards to become a strong defensive team. It also gives them an option to throw on opponents’ best scorers when that is needed.

At most, Oladipo would improve the team’s defense and give them a solid option on offense that actually fits their current group. He could play alongside Beal and shoulder some of the scoring load when Beal isn’t on the court.

There’s reason to believe he could come in and be a major factor off the Wizards bench. Best case scenario he’s a great sixth man, worst case he’s a nice asset in the bench rotation. At the price tag he will be available for, the Wizards have no reason to not kick the tires on bringing him in.