Denver Nuggets could join two teams in pursuit of Victor Oladipo

The Houston Rockets just parted ways with one of their greatest players in franchise history in James Harden. They added some interesting pieces for their rebuild, especially Victor Oladipo, who’s still pretty young and with All-NBA potential.

Oladipo has struggled with injuries throughout his career but when healthy, he’s proven to be a two-way stud capable of leading a team to a playoff berth. Then again, they’re still some pieces away from being a legit contender.

That’s why some people believe that the Rockets could look to move Oladipo before the deadline if they don’t get it together soon enough, especially with him set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Nuggets, Heat, Celtics Could Pursue Victor Oladipo

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer recently brought to light the fact that there were plenty of teams interested in adding Oladipo before he landed in Houston, with the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics leading the race:

“As I reported last week, Victor Oladipo, an impending free agent, has eyes for Miami. Could the Heat, or another team looking to contend—such as the Nuggets or Celtics—try to acquire him?” O’Connor started.

He added that the Denver Nuggets could be quite aggressive in their pursuit of another star for their backcourt, with Oladipo being a more realistic target than Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal:

“Beal could eventually become available if the Wizards keep dropping games. Could Denver build an offer around Michael Porter Jr.? Another option might be Victor Oladipo, if Houston wanted to flip him. No matter the case, the Nuggets should be active in seeking upgrades. Nikola Jokic is having an MVP campaign, but he’s carrying a more massive load than any other season of his career. Jamal Murray has been as frustratingly inconsistent as he was pre-bubble, so finding a more consistent backcourt presence would go a long way in helping them both,” O’Connor concluded.

Obviously, there are a lot of ‘Ifs’ here and Oladipo has yet to prove that he can stay healthy and go back to his All-Star level. But given his upside and the Nuggets’ needs, he’d definitely be a major pickup for them.